The Demon Sixth Man
by djmuse5297
Summary: The only girl in an all-boys group, Karadai Kamiko's role within the Uncrowned Kings stayed relatively unknown until later, but despite that, her skills are revered greatly by her team, especially the Generation of Miracles. She's the culprit behind The Demon Sixth Man's mask. (Kuroko no Basuke/黒子のバスケ)
1. Chapter 1

_Hanzo Junior High Basketball Team_

_As there are always be two sides of the same coin, another group of 5 basketball geniuses, like the Generation of Miracles, are known as the Uncrowned Kings or the Crownless Generals. They acknowledge each other's potential and capability to the point that if they were born in a different era, they would have held the title of the Generation of Miracles._

_At the very start of middle school, there is one certain sixth player concerning the Uncrowned Kings on the sudden bloom, whose skills are labeled demon-like by many and has been greatly revered by the Uncrowned Kings and the Generation of Miracles. To that, he was given the title as the 'Akuma reijingu' or the 'Raging Demon.'_

_However, he disappeared right after the tie-breaker between Teiko Juniour High and Hanzo Junior High before graduation. _

_The Demon Sixth Man._

* * *

It was a bright first morning—the first day as freshman in a new high school. A certain sky-bluenette was sprinting on her way to towards her new school, with a sling bag hanging across her upper body as it bumps against her hip at her every step. Her dark school sweater was tied rather loosely around her waist. Almost tripping as she briskly walked across the street, completely unaware that the pedestrian signal was bright red and the cars had to break just shy away from the said girl as she was crossing, her attention solely on both hands on her undone pale green tie.

"When I'll see _that_ guy, I'm seriously blaming _him_ for keeping me up the whole night just to talk," the sky-bluenette mumbled under her breath as she finally tied her tie right and turned her heel to a corner, finally the new school in view. She stopped just in front of the gates as the students—in pairs or groups—walked in, chatting and laughing. Looking up, a smile was found playing across her lips as she raised her hand up to shield her eyes from the bright rays of the morning sun that was shining from the roof top of the school.

"Seirin High School, huh…" she mused to herself as she finally stepped inside the gates, oblivious of the star struck faces of the surrounding students, especially from the male students.

* * *

That day was the first official practice of Seirin High's basketball club.

The said 'practice' is more like an ice-breaker kind of thing when the second years and freshmen get to know each other, and also for the student coach to see the players' capability and potential.

As Riko looked for the missing new recruit among the interested freshmen, she flinched ever so slightly at the screeching sound of shoes sliding the cemented floor, causing every pair of eyes present to look at the gym's entrance, towards a girl with light blue layered hair that reaches almost the middle of her back who leaned against the sliding door frame, panting. The girl's head was hanging low to catch her breath.

The short brunette noticed that the sky-bluenette was wearing a prescribed female school blouse but… she partnered it with the male school pants instead of a school skirt that should have been together with the said blouse, causing the short brunette to raise a brow at this. As far as she knew about this school, even semi-cross dressing is prohibited. How was the girl able to pass by the guards by the gates? _'She's not… a tomboy, is she?'_

"_A-Ano_," The girl paused again to catch her breath and straightened her back to face them, no sweat, indicating that she ran only a small amount of waste of energy to get to school. "I'm sorry for being late. I'm Karadai Kamiko." She then walked towards their direction, running her slender fingers through her messy hair, fixing it into a high pony tail.

Riko stared at the young girl, looking at Hyuuga who only nodded, and looked back at the girl. As Riko's vision changes into stat mode, analyzing the girl's body potential and it was far from what she would have expected.

_"W-What? I can't see much through her clothing but… her stats are so dynamically… high; higher than Kagami's body stats!"_ She thought, blinking in shock and took a small step crossed her arms, observing the girl, who was undeniably taller than her, much to her dismay. _'A girl with stats like that has to be a basketball player…' _the short brunette furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion. _'Who is she?'_

Hanzo Junior High's Uncrowned Kings had quite a reputation, like Teiko's Generation of Miracles.

They've first started out as a normal middle school basketball team three years ago, playing like any other middle schools, though securing the top spot during their first National championships. After that, going against them only seemed to get rougher. When third year came, there isn't a single middle school team out there that had the guts to face them or even dream of getting the top spot at the Nationals- except where and when the Generation of Miracles comes in and beats them, landing at the top with the Uncrowned Kings sliding down the 2nd place.

The same question in every one's mind when the news of the Hanzo Junior High School Bastketball team's downfall in the third year spread like wild fire across the country, men and women alike, enthusiasts and players:

_What really happened back in the previous Nationals?_

Thus, when the fit-looking girl had introduced herself as Karadai Kamiko, Riko had her suspicions. Is it possible that this girl is part of one of two legendary middle school basketball teams?

In that day's practice, they finally learned why as Riko decided to challenge the freshmen against the second years in a mock match. As the match progressed, they found out why Kamiko, a girl, who surprisingly was a good 7 inches taller than their coach, is allowed to join an all-boys team and was the very person behind the _Akuma reijingu _title of the Uncrowned Kings.

"For starters, we all know about the Demon Sixth Man of the Uncrowned Kings," Riko crossed her arms as she continues to quietly observe the mock match between the juniours and the freshmen with Izuki, taking note of Kamiko's play as with the ball in hand, surprising Hyuuga with a fake leap, eventually shooting at the basket in a swift with an astonishingly well-kept elegance. "Not most basketball players, if not all, can take a shot like she did." Rough yet polished; edgy yet smooth; cautious yet swift— her play is deadly—so much like a demon. "I'm sure she hasn't gone even half of 100% even, but everything else, this girl should **_never_** be taken for granted." The lady coach concluded shortly.

"Swift pace… phantom-like speed… that looks oddly familiar…" Izuki muttered as he wrapped his hands behind his head.

"Well…" The student coach started. "There are rumors of a Mirage player back in middle school. There's no doubt that she's it." _'Before she was dubbed as the Raging Demon.'_

Just in a nick of time, the lady coach stops the match abruptly, causing the players to screech to a halt, panting heavily on their knees. The shorter girl then called it a day, telling them to go rest as she added that Kamiko must stay put to have a word with her.

"But is it legal for a girl to join an all-boys club like the basketball team?" Shun Izuki questioned. "Let alone involve in matches?"

"About that, I had already checked that rule up after finding out that Miko-chan had joined our basketball team," Riko enlightened, her eyes watching the boys sit on the benches a while after slipping the keys into her pocket. "There is no rule that stops girls from playing with the boys. Most of them just never do, preferring to cheer the boys from the bleaches."

"Ah, I see…" Hyuuga sighed a bit and nodded. "But she's… unusual, isn't she? Being called the Demon Sixth Man when she's actually a woman in the flesh? No one must have known that it was a girl holding that Demon Sixth Man title the whole time in middle school."

Kamiko had walked into the changing room after having a word with Riko after training that day, panicking the rest of the boys who were in various states of stripping off at that time, and all of them tried to cover themselves up. Kamiko sighed at the sight, shaking her head lightly, simply taking out her school uniform from her locker and walked back out, leaving all of the boys gawking at her like idiots.

"Probably used to walking into a locker room with her former teammates changing by now. Ah well, things are going to get fascinating," Izuki smiled at the thought.

* * *

In Maji's, the fast food outlet that a certain redhead brute-looking Seirin High student, Kagami Taiga, regularly hangs out in after basketball practice, he winded up at Kamiko's table without even realizing it, hence, causing him to swallow his burger the wrong way.

"Where'd you come from?" Kagami demanded. "And why are you here?"

The girl only stared at him with her honey-glazed eyes for a few moments and answered. "I believe I should ask you the same question. And besides," she gestured on her cup. "I love their vanilla milkshake."

"Leave me alone."

"I did nothing to you and you're telling me to leave you alone?" Kamiko blankly stared at him as she countered, causing Kagami to twitch. "My, you're clueless."

"If someone sees us here, they'll assume that we're friends!" Kagami whispered in a hiss, almost as if afraid that someone from their school would overhear him and recognize them.

"Assume what they want, I don't care." She tiredly rolled her eyes and sighed as she stared at the window, sipping on her vanilla milkshake.

Mumbling something incoherent under his breath, Kagami raised his hands in surrender and sighed. Wordlessly, he picked out a burger from his pile that he had and threw one over to Kamiko, who caught it with one hand without even looking away from the window. "I don't really accept girls who are basketball players," he mumbled. _Though a certain basketball teacher back in America was a woman. _ "But you've earned my respect and my burger." He grinned. "Oh and, for a weak-looking girl, you're fit, but then again, you need to eat more if you wished to grow stronger."

Kamiko glanced at Kagami without moving her head that faced the window, and gave a small smile, the very first expression change that Kagami had seen from the dwarfette, causing him to blink as he was taken aback at how much just one smile can change her facial appearance.

"Thanks."

The rest of their meal went by in comfortable silence, and after Kagami finished his share of burgers that unsurprisingly didn't take long as he stuffed his mouth like a squirrel, the two left, with him offering to walk Kamiko home.

The tall redhead might look like a brute, and he might be named "Taiga" after a tiger, but he was still brought up properly with the right values and conduct infused in him since he was younger. He isn't going to pass up letting a girl walk home alone this late at night.

_What if there might be thieves? Or worse yet, rapists?_

He shook those thoughts away as he walked with her, aware as they turn right into a small street, dimly lighted by a street lamp.

"Are you trying to make up for your behavior earlier?" Kamiko said, side-glancing at him with a neutral expression and somehow it annoyed him.

_'Hell no, I wouldn't, but this seems fair.'_ He thought.

Along the walk home, the silence was bearable, but Kagami couldn't help but break it with the thought that has been bugging him for a while now. "How strong are the Generation of Miracles and the Uncrowned Kings?" He faces her sideways while walking. "If I played against them now, how would I do?"

The sky-bluenette did not answer immediately as she looked at him then back at the road, whilst throwing the now-empty cup in the nearest trash bin.

"Crushed in a blink of an eye," Kamiko answered and Kagami twitched and groaned.

"Do you have to be so blunt about everything?"

"Sugarcoating wouldn't help anything," She said, which annoyed him more. "That three Kings I know have gone together to play for one school; the other one for his and the other for his, as well. Each one of the Generation of Miracles has gone to play for their respective schools. One of those schools will secure the top without any doubt."

Kagami grinned like a maniac and laughed. "That's about it," he laughed still. "That's exactly the thing that lights up a fire in me." He stopped, causing Kamiko to stop as well to look at the redhead.

"I've decided to crush them all and become the best player in Japan!"

Kamiko only looked at him funny, combing her bangs as she tucked her hair tendrils behind her ear. "I don't think that's likely," she told Kagami, the right side of her lip quirked down as she walked passed him, causing him to gape at the skyblue crown.

"O-Oi!" Kagami shouted, upset at her lack of trust in his ability.

Kamiko stopped at her tracks again and sighed, glancing at the few cars passing by the street. "With your current abilities alone, you can't win against them." She turned to look at him. "Based from your play earlier today, you wouldn't have reached their feet. Like I said, you'll be crushed in an instant at your current level."

The lights of a few passing cars lit her exposed side of face, causing it to illuminate a certain glow especially in her eyes. Kagami can only blink at the sight of it.

"I can sense something, hidden inside you. It has long been there, but it needs you to develop it," She shook her head slightly. "I can guide you, but you must be the one to find the answer yourself. That's how I'll make you the best player in Japan."

Kagami looked surprised for a moment before he grinned wide. "And the little girl's talking," he grinned even more. "Do whatever you want."

Kamiko nodded with a small smile. "I'll do my best."

* * *

She reached home, bidding farewell to her fellow redhead teammate, locking the door of her apartment. Her studio-type apartment was simple and tidy, fit for two people at the most.

Living here since the 2nd year of middle school, it wasn't really as lonely as she thought it would be, though she doesn't have visitors all the time. Almost all the time, Reo and Kotaro would drop by, willingly or even against her will, but it was fine. Out of all of her teammates, she's closer with Reo and Kotaro, even Teppei, though aside from Reo and Kotaro, she was also closest to him, making her his kouhai.

Eikichi? Well, both of them couldn't stand each other under one roof, especially breathing the same air, but they were as civilized only when it's in court.

Same goes with her former sadist of a teammate.

Come to think of it, she hasn't had one visitor ever since _that _and somehow it didn't really bother her even a bit.

Taking her shoes off to set it by the shoe rack, she walked into the kitchen to fix herself some tea, dropping her bag on the open chair. Leaving the kettle to heat, she decided to take a shower to freshen up, suddenly feeling sweaty all over. Stepping into the bathroom in her room, she turns on the shower, adjusting its temperature to warm as she takes off her clothes.

20 minutes had passed and she finally stepped out of the shower, already in her matching cloud pajamas with a peach towel hanging loosely over her damp hair. As she massages her hair from its roots to their tips, the sky-bluenette stood by her half-opened window then, sensing a chilly breeze that just blew gently, cooling her room. She shivered just slight as she leaned against her table to reach for her window and pulled it down to close it.

Just as she was about to turn on her iPod to jam with her music in order to lessen the loneliness that she was feeling at the moment, her cell-phone rang. Quirking a brow leaving her towel still hanging on her head, she picked up her cell-phone only to see the display screen of 'Momoi Satsuki' flashing on the LCD screen.

_'I wonder why she's calling…' _She thought and sighed before answering the call, "What is it, Satsuki?"

"_Ueeehhhh! Miko-chan! Is that how you answer your soon-to-be sister-in-law?!"_ Her childhood friend squealed, sounding almost like she's whining.

"Uh uh, keep dreaming," she mumbled doubtfully. "It's weird for you to call me this late at night. Shoot."

_"How rude, Miko-chan! You blessed our relationship!"_ Momoi whined even more, sniffing.

She nearly groaned at that alone, sitting on the edge of her bed, her sitting position on slight crouch position, frowning.

Despite the fact they're half-siblings, Kuroko Tetsuya enrolled at Teiko Junior High while she enrolled at Hanzo. A few common things about the both of them were their skyblue crowns, physical built (though she is taller than him now than in middle school), and intelligence. That's when he met Momoi.

To put it simple terms, he wasn't as expressive and always sports an emotionless face, like _always_—but well, Momoi somehow was okay with it and it went from there. The girl, as she just sat there on her bed, had not much recollection of memories about Tetsuya and Momoi during that time, but she wouldn't want to push it for further details.

She doesn't really care about other people's business and would not rather stick her nose into it.

"Anyways, why are you calling? Is there something wrong?"

The line was deadly silent, leaving her to think that the pinknette girl might have hanged up on her, but then there was a bit shuffling over the line so she thought the caller was still there, thinking her thoughts through carefully.

_"Midorin, Mu-kun and others, most especially, Dai-chan is worried sick, Miko-chan, and they've been wondering how you were, especially… well… he… uh… you know…"_

Even before she trailed off, the sky-bluenette unknowingly gripped her phone rather tightly, shaking a little.

_'They are not at fault…' _She thought, running her free hand through her hair, messily combing her hair in the process. _ 'It has always been mine, no matter how much I want to put the blame in their shoulders.'_

"Ah," the sky-bluenette sighed as her honey-glazed eyes wandered aimlessly on her bedroom walls until a picture caught her attention; it was her and Akashi, topping first place in an essay competition back in grade school. She noted Akashi's neutral expression back then was as the same as today while she herself was grinning like an idiot as their picture was taken.

"I'm sorry for making you all worry. I've been fine, recovering as quickly as possible." She then looked at the picture frame next to the 1st grade picture.

_"I'm so happy to hear you're recovering fast. Those guys are more worried than I was, surprisingly. I thought they were cold-hearted idiots since first year, most especially Akashi-kun." _Pause. _"Well, I couldn't say the same with Midorin, Mu-kun and Akashi-kun, but still... oh even Dai-chan! He likes you too, despite being in denial! He mentioned about liking a girl in grade school once, having a skyblue hair and I knew it was you! Oh my jelly! I'm so envious! Wait… there's Tetsu-kun…"_

"Shinta-kun will never like me in a romantic way but we respect each other deeply," the sky-bluenette smiled at the phone. "Gosh, he's a tsundere and he treasures Oha Asa Horoscopes more than girls." To that, she earned a giggle from the pinknette. "Atsu-kun is a giant bear and he loves sweets more than girls." Pause. "Ryota… eh… he has his own fan girls to deal with. We would never know if he'll be able to date in that state."

_"They'll never date for as long as they have those things and basketball, huh?"_

"Got that right."

_"But you know, Miko-chan… despite his fan girls, his eyes are already dead set on you since… Ah! First year in middle school! Mou~! I'm jealous all the more! I don't even know how you can't see something that's already in front of you this whole time! Guys flock to you while I get stomped over!"_

The sky-bluenette had a lot of male admirers since grade school and it's supposed to be normal. Suitors then when she entered middle school and to be honest, even Momoi, too. Momoi, however, has Tetsuya now, but it somehow didn't lessen her own flock of admirers, too.

The fact that Kamiko rejected every single one of them (without really rejecting them) was not because she hates the male species. Well, she has no problems with academics and extra-curricular, but then, her reasons are unclear until now.

When it comes to words such as 'like' and 'love', she is almost clueless.

Despite that, she still has male admirers even as she's in high school now.

_"But I do wonder about Akashi-kun though. I mean, he acts differently around you. Yeah, he still has his absolute, superior whatever, but well, he's… I mean… ugh… he's just different when you're present."_

The sky-bluenette hummed in response, only half-listening as Momoi droned more. Her eyes then moved their attention back at a little recent picture beside her 1st grade picture.

It was her and Kise in Maji's in their 2nd year, still wearing their respective school uniforms, laughing so hard that they were pictured with drinks spilling from their noses. The picture was obviously stolen, judging from the angle of the shot. She remembered sitting separately with Kise from the others, due to their untold insistence, but it was fun.

The picture itself brought a smile to her lips as she gazes on it a little longer.

_"Dah~ Miko-chan! Are you even listening?"_

The caller at the end spoke through her senses, causing her to snap back into reality.

"E-Eh, wait, you were saying…?"

The sky-bluenette could picture Momoi's mouth forming into a deep pout, even as her cheeks grew red due to annoyance. She giggled at the thought of it.

_"W-What's so funny! Miko-chan! Meanie!"_

"I couldn't help but picture you crossing your arms as you pout and as your face turns red because you're annoyed right now."

And to that, it was Momoi's turn to laugh and the girl joined along.

Oh, how she missed the old times—where she can joke around with no worries, be with her friends, and play the sport she loves to the core. How she wished it were the same.

But, it's never going to be, how much she wished for it.

Out of the blue, her head throbbed and within her consciousness, she saw a girl who was a spitting image of her—no, she saw a girl that was herself. She couldn't make out all of her face, but she knew it was her. Herself, in fact.

_Tsk. Ne, Kami. You are such a stupid little girl. Wishes are for weaklings! They let you hang on a false hope that was never present in the first place._

The girl swore she heard a voice smiled a sinister smile, followed by a sound of menacing laughter and it all came from the girl facing opposite to her in her consciousness.

Holding up her aching head with her free hand, she barely heard Momoi's strings of worry on the phone. Her right arm twitched continuously, causing her to roll on her bed in pain as she tries to gain back control over her right arm.

_"M-Miko-chan! O-Oi! What's wrong?!" _Momoi pushed in so much worry over the line.

She can never blame her friend or even the rest of them. It was already done. Not that she couldn't do anything about it, because she always find a way to make things work according to her situation.

But this… Akkiko… her other half … this situation is completely different.

_Stop wishing for something that ceased to exist. _Akkiko mocked in a sickeningly sweet tone that sounded so much like her own but is not. _But if you desperately want those times back, you clearly know what to do, Kami._

_ Just say the word and I'll do the rest. _The voice dropped low as it started to fade away, parting her last words.

_Death and Destruction._

At that moment, the sky-bluenette blacked out of exhaustion, leaving Momoi on the line.

* * *

The next day, Kamiko groaned in her sleep, blinking as she shields her eyes from the sudden day light.

"Eh… morning already?" she thought aloud, glancing at her bed table clock.

_6:00am _

The digital clock stared back at her as she rolled to her side to sit up. Looking at the floor, the girl spotted her cell-phone, wondering how it got there in the first place. Flipping to check the damage, which luckily wasn't any present, she discovered numerous miscalls and messages. She frowned at the sight, wondering what came up, so she decided to check some, with a reason to past time before heading to school.

_From: Satsuki (=3=)_

_Ne, ne, Miko-chan! You left me on the line last night! _

Wait, what? What happened last night?

Memories from last night flooded into her. She recalled talking to Satsuki after taking a shower, having mentioned that others were worried about her and such. Also, where Akkiko nagged her into 'saying the word' before she left her alone, causing her to black out.

_What was that all about?_

She shook the thought away as she checked to see another one, from Aida Riko, Seirin basketball team's student coach.

_From: Aida-senpai_

_Ohayou, Miko-chan! Rooftop, 8:40am sharp. Ja ne~! (o^3^o)_

She titled her head in confusion at the coach's message but replied back to her anyway.

_To: Aida-senpai_

_Noted. _

Other messages were unimportant, due to the fact that it all came from Satsuki and some from Tetsuya, from Kagami…

Wait, Kagami? How—

_From: Unknown_

_Don't freak out. I got your number from Riko-senpai for… whatever! Why am I even explaining this to you?! Senpai says 8:40!-KT_

_P.S.: Surprisingly, you're only three houses away from mine. I'll bring in breakfast. Don't complain!_

To that, the sky-bluenette blinked at the message, confused at his message but felt obligated to reply back to the redhead. When she caught sight of the added note on his message, she shook her head in amusement at her fellow classmate's antics and decided not to reply then, not forgetting to save the redhead's number into her phone book. As she went back from her message threads, she raised a brow at a familiar number; **two familiar numbers.**

_From: Reo_

_Neeeee, Miko-chaaaan! How have you been-kesu? Did I hear that you enrolled at Seirin High? (ToT) E-eh?! Why didn't you enroll here at Rakuzan High? The three of us are here! We missed you, senpai! 3 b3d Kota-chan is being an ass as always!_

Undeniably, that message caused her to smile a little. The last time they saw each other was somewhere during her admission in the hospital after _something _that happened during the Nationals. She recalled Reo being worse than Akashi whenever _his _name was mentioned, even around her, but he handled it as properly like a certain greenhead from Teiko.

She sighed at the thought as she moved to the next message, from the GoM's former captain and Rakuzan's present captain.

_From Sei:_

_Ma, Bakamiko. I heard about you from Satsuki. Seems like Akkiko is conniving with you to let her take control of your body, fully this time, for a **very** serious payback. _

Akashi Seijuro. He was the team captain of the Generation of Miracles and the Rakuzan present team captain. Before everything else, he was a classmate and a really close friend since grade school. At the sight of him the first time, Akashi has this authoritative aura around him for a youngster. She noticed his classmates were scared of him but somehow, she wasn't scared of him at all. She tend to stick up with him whenever she could, especially when Tetsuya is… being Tetsuya—calling him 'Sei-chan' in the process. At first, he refused to be called by that, saying it sounded "very girly", but then, it just sticks. He got used to it one way or another.

She looks up to him; admire him up until now, despite his former team winning against them during the third year.

And the only other who knew about her 'situation.'

Getting up from her bed, she walked towards the bathroom and the first thing she saw was her own reflection in the mirror.

Her hand finding the sink faucet knob, she turned it on at full throttle as she scopes the overflowing water to quickly wet her face.

"… Okay, breakfast, brush teeth, quick shower, pack school things… then off to school."

* * *

Just as she opened her front door to go on her way then, Kagami was already on the verge of knocking by then, with a hand formed into a fist as it was raised midway. Both people stared at each other, trying to comprehend the rather… awkward situation that they were in. As Kamiko finally remembered what he was there for, catching sight of the paper bag in his other hand in the process, she sheepishly scratched her head and apologized, as she really thought that the redhead was joking about the bringing over of breakfast. To that, she earned a glare, a scowl, and a rolling pair of fiery orbs as Kagami tossed her the paper bag which in it was two medium sized bagels of cheese and two cartons of milk. The sky-bluenette blinked at the sight, glancing back at the redhead, who just waved it off as he was already leaving the girl behind, causing her to hurriedly close the door behin0d her and catch up with the redhead.

The Seirin basketball club had some weird tradition of having their would-be regulars shout out their names, class number, and their goals at the top of the rooftop. And if they can't achieve the said tradition, they have to confess to the girls they like butt naked. Luckily, Kamiko was a girl. She didn't really have to do anything if she wouldn't do her part, but still it was obligated.

As it was Kamiko's turn to do her part, the disciplinary master of the school had barged into the rooftop, as a result of all the present freshmen and juniors, along with their coach, getting an entire day's detention along with a long lecture from an infuriated teacher.

* * *

Hanging out at Maji's as usual, Kagami stuffed his face with the burgers he ordered angrily. "I can't believe the teacher got mad over a little shouting from the rooftop." He grumbled, whilst drinking from his milk shake at the same time.

"I wasn't able to do my part yet I got into trouble too," Kamiko commented, causing her redhead brute fellow to choke on his burger upon realizing that Kamiko is in front of him again, though, holding her own tray of vanilla milkshake and three burgers.

The redhead blinked as he finally choked on his burger the right away and glared at Kamiko, who merely brushed off his stare as she wordlessly sat across him. "I did not give you permission to sit with me."

"It's free seating, Kagami, deal with it," the sky-bluenette shook her head lightly as she sipped on her milkshake and took a bite on her burger.

_'Rude and too blunt for a girl, but somehow I don't really care.' _Kagami snorted and took a mouthful of his fourth burger. "Oh yeah, this reminds me. Karadai, why didn't you go to some big high school like the other guys? Despite being the only girl in an all-boys team, you were great enough to be called the Demon Sixth Man. Is there some explanation that you play basketball?"

To that, she glanced at the redhead, who was waiting for her answer, then back at her burger. Leaning lazily on her palm, she began, waving her half-eaten burger as effect. "Like the Generation of Miracles, the Uncrowned Kings had only one core principle, 'The only people who can survive are the strongest and the fittest.' Along with teamwork, we forcefully push the individual talents of the Uncrowned Kings to win. We stick as a team, driving us to top the Nationals until the Generation of Miracles beat us to it at the third year and that made me feel that other than losing for the first time, I also felt we lacked something really important."

There was silence between the pair before Kagami spoke up once more. "What was it?"

"What?"

Kagami looks at Kamiko, frowning at the skyblue crown, who paid no attention to the redhead as to looking at him. "What was that thing that you lacked that was very important?"

Kamiko's eyes widened a fraction at the question, but it was too quick to catch hold of, even for Kagami. "The Uncrowned Kings weren't as they were known for today. Like the Generation of Miracles, we started out as a normal basketball team. We all played the sport because we loved it." She paused a few moments before continuing. "I started playing basketball because I love the game ever since I can remember. It was then all of them started evolving during our third year, crushing every team that came our way, just like the Generation of Miracles. Both teams were… invincible," Her voice dropped low at the last word, causing Kagami to frown in confusion.

"So what if you grew stronger? What's the trouble?"

Kamiko sighed lightly and faced the redhead once again; her expressionless face that ticked Kagami somehow. "If you were present at that time, you would understand. Words can't describe it though," she said. "We lost sight of the reason why we play basketball, Kagami. It got to the very point that I, who swore not to turn my back on the one thing that I love the most, loathed basketball." Kagami couldn't help but blink in surprise. "The sound of the ball… the sounds of sneakers squeaking against the court floor… the swishes of the net… I hated every single thing that involved the game." Kamiko quietly admitted. "And by the time we reached the Nationals, I can openly say that no one on Hanzo and Teiko loves basketball anymore."

She sighed heavily, even as she looked back out the window, with a few people passing by. With all the new information that was harvested, the redhead tried to marinate them all in his head. He was silent the whole time, most probably shocked at the revelation he received.

He started at his remaining burgers on his tray then at Kamiko and there he saw the brief but saddest expression that was plastered all over her face as she continued to chew on her burgers.

Kagami sighed lightly and slouched in his seat as he looked out the window as well, for the first time his appetite was gone too soon but somehow he didn't care. Every detail in her story, if not the full story, most especially the part where she mentioned that she came to hate basketball before.

There were a lot more questions he wanted to ask her, without being a pry, but he thought it was also best that she would initiate and he would really and gladly listen. He has much to learn, without him admitting out loud—from her, especially from her former teammates and the Generation of Miracles.

Heck, it will be keeping him on the edge, knowing that they will be facing them sooner or later and the thought of it made him grin like a complete maniac.

"You know, you're very creepy when you're grinning like an idiot, Kagami."

He was snapped back into reality when he heard her spoke and he couldn't help but grin more as Kamiko faced him fully, her sad expression from moments ago was already replaced with her usual neutral expression.

"Nah, just the thought of facing them one by one sooner or later is making me high."

And he **did not **expect a sound of laughter—_ a girlish kind of laughter_—coming from Kamiko and he wasn't aware of how beet red his face was, mostly from embarrassment.

"W-What the hell is that sound!? Where did you hold poker-face Karadai hostage?!"

He continued barking nonsense as he hand-animated her. The girl couldn't help but be amused at his stupidity.

"I give up. I'm not buying it. You're not the poker-face Karadai," Kagami raised his hands in mock surrender, his smirk present in his lips and Kamiko rolled her eyes.

"I'm not a poker-face. I'm just like this," the girl countered, making him snicker.

"Oh yeah? Then who is it?"

"Who was what?"

"That reddish head guy who was playing with you in that abandoned gym nearby some weeks before school starts? He has this jersey jacket… uh… what was that name again…"

_'That guy… gives me the chills. From the looks of him, his aura is eerie and the jersey jacket… it was a basketball jersey jacket! Who the hell is he?! Man, he might be stronger! I like to play him!' _The redhead thought, ferociously grinning to himself again.

Kamiko blinked. And blinked. Then, her face turned grim. She looked away, facing the window again as the redhead brute was in his own little world, trying to remember the name, even to that it made her sigh.

"What were you doing, sticking your nose into my business?" Quirking an eyebrow, she looked at him causing Kagami to look at her.

"What? That wasn't even 'sticking my nose'! I happened to kill time there, since it has been my spot before I moved back to America to finish middle school," Kagami's eyebrow twitched as he explained himself shortly.

Kamiko's face looked bored, but she thought she would answer his original question then.

"It was a Teiko jersey jacket. And the 'redhead' that you mentioned was a dear close friend of mine."

_'Teiko, huh?' _Kagami thought impatiently as she stayed silent for a few more moments. "So he's part of this… Generation of Miracles then?"

As when her mouth opened to speak, she closed it again and gave out a tired sigh.

"Yeah, he is."

Surprised at her short answer, he grumbled, deciding to stuff his mouth with the remaining burgers in his tray. The sky-bluenette played with her straw in her now-empty disposable cup absentmindedly with her right hand. Kagami, as he resumed eating, he caught sight of a spandex like band on her right wrist—actually, he caught sight of her spandex support that covered the half of her lower arm.

He's seen her with a full right arm spandex support during practice. He thought it was only something minor, like to avoid injury or something, but then he remembered their coach and captain's conversation before practice ended, as they were talking about Kamiko's play.

**Flashback**

_"Okay guys! The rest of the newbies, hit the lockers! Kagami, switch with Miko-chan now!"_

_He heard their coach's instruction, nodding it off as he passed the ball to Izuki and turned his direction to Kamiko, who was walking into court and met him just half-way with a hand-tap. The redhead then sat just a fair distance from Riko and Hyuuga, who were talking. Shrugging, he took a fresh hand-towel to wipe his sweaty face and took a big gulp from his water bottle, as his eyes were trained on Kamiko and Izuki's one-on-one match._

_"Ne, Hyuuga-kun. Did you watch the DVD of Hanzo's previous matches where Miko-chan was present?"_

_Kagami's ears perked, his eyes darted towards the brunette's figure, her face was serious and was in a thinking position. He caught sight of their Captain adjusting his eye-glasses as he watched the match._

_"I did. From the first until the Nationals in her third year," The four-eyed Captain replied with a blank expression. "She used to play with her right instead of her left." Riko nodded in acknowledgement as she continues to observe the sky-bluenette as she swiftly passed Izuki's block, leaping as to dunk the ball into the basket._

_ "For three whole years, she was using her right. Her play was slightly different now that she's using her left. It seemed better than her usual play… but, I wonder what made her switch?" It was Riko speaking now, making the redhead furrow his eyebrows in confusion._

_"It was during the Nationals in her third year. Witnesses—the audiences say that it was her own teammate who… damaged her right shoulder, causing her to lose its usual strength," Hyuuga tsk'd and shook his head. "They were against the Generation of Miracles, then. Their player claimed that her teammate had meant to injure her all along, using the opposing team's Ace as bait. It was all caught on tape too," the short-haired captain sling his towel around his nape as he crouched down, his upper body weight supported by his lower arms on his knees. _

_Riko looked at Hyuuga, who became silent, then looked back at the sky-bluenette, who was standing casually on court, surprisingly not looking tired at all, unlike Izuki, who was panting heavily now._

_"Should we confirm this to her? I mean, well, talk to her about it?"_

_To that, Hyuuga shook his head solemnly. "No, there was a reason why she didn't tell us in the first place. So we should leave it be. For now," he added as he stood up, adjusting his eyeglasses. "Unless, push comes to shove, we'll wait and see how this goes." _

**End of Flashback**

"What really happened back in your 3rd year, Karadai?"

The question somehow caught her off-guard, as she snapped her attention to the redhead, who looked surprisingly serious for once. Silently debating whether or not she would answer his question, the sky-bluenette let out a loud sigh and looked at Kagami, who looked like he was deep in thought, as if contemplating if he should bring up the subject that she has been avoiding for a good 7 months now. She could only give a sad smile and breaks the silence between them.

"You've been meaning to ask me that for quite a while, ne, Kagami?"

That caught his attention, causing him to look at her and slowly nodded as he scratched his nape awkwardly.

"Uh yeah… is it okay?"

She nodded a bit, resting her chin on her palm, which caused him to inwardly sigh in relief and clears his throat rather nervously, making her quirk her brow at his actions.

"Well… what part of my 3rd year would you want to know?"

"The Nationals." He slowly began, trying to relax as her honey-glazed eyes were trained on him fully, as if leaving him no room to escape. "I overheard Riko-senpai and Hyuuga-senpai comparing your style of play today and back then." Seeing her quirk both her eyebrows, as if suggesting him to continue, he gulped and continued on. "And I realized that instead of using your right, you use your left. Why is that?"

Kamiko moved her attention from Kagami to her disposable cup, playing the straw with her free hand. "I got my right shoulder tendons and muscles shattered during the game," she spoke after a while. "I caught my former teammate red-handed as he was provoking the opposing team's Ace, but in the end, the blow was for me." The sky-bluenette left out Aomine's name and _his _name out, for she thought it was too early to tell her fellow redhead teammate.

Kagami can only have a vein pop somewhere in his temple as soon as he heard that Kamiko was injured intentionally. "That's just bull! You're the… proof! Why didn't the Sports Association kick that bastard out?!" He balled his fists in anger and gritted his teeth. He twitched even more as he noticed the sky-bluenette was calm about it.

"Believe me, I wasn't calm at the beginning," She answered the question that he was about to ask, catching him in surprise. "I thought I couldn't play anymore after what the doctors had told me during my admission, but the 'redhead' that you mentioned earlier, he told me that if I still want to play basketball despite my injury, I had to—"

"—Start from square one." Kagami completed her statement, with her nodding in agreement.

"That's correct."

The redhead brute shifted in his spot, making himself more comfortable then. "So when I saw you with that guy in the gym, it was about training with your left arm." As the girl nodded again, he sighed heavily, as he picked up his half-full disposable cup and drinks from it.

"It made more sense now. You sure did catch on pretty quick," He pointed out, making Kamiko shrug.

"Four months seemed pretty short to me, but I think I fairly improved—" As that, her phone vibrated, signaling a message. Confused, she picked her cell-phone to see who it was.

_From Tetsuya:_

_Aunt Miyuki is disappointed that you didn't enroll at either Shutoku High, Rakuzan High, Yosen High, or Kaijo High—the prescribed high schools that she recommended for you. I never told her anything, so I have no idea how she got the news, but just a small heads up, she's planned to visit you during the Inter High preliminaries. The way we both know her, she's up to no good. Be careful. _

"Tsk…" She clicked her tongue and gritted her teeth in anger as she stuffed her phone back into the side pocket of her bag. Kagami was confused at her sudden change of mood when he saw the look in her eyes.

That blank, fuming look in her eyes, despite her neutral facial expression, was more than enough to send chills into his spine, making him shiver at the sight. That was the first time he's seen her this cold.

_'I wonder what the message was about that change her mood in a split second?'_

"Oi—"

"Sorry, I have to leave you."

Standing up from her seat and without looking at him, she grabbed her bag as to leave the place, leaving Kagami dumbfounded.

[Edited: 08/03/2015 at 23:30]


	2. Chapter 2

**When I saw the most recent reviews, I felt like crying! You want me to continue this story? Alright! I will! Just please be patient with me as this story is going through major-editing. **

**Thank you, minna-san! **

**Lovelots, D.J.~**

* * *

**Recall:**

_"So when I saw you with that guy in the gym, it was about training with your left arm."_

_"4 months seemed pretty short to me, but I think I fairly improved—" As that, her phone vibrated, signaling a message. Confused, she picked her cell-phone to see who it was._

_'I wonder what the message was about that change her mood in a split second?'_

_"Oi—"_

_"Sorry, I have to leave you."_

_Standing up from her seat and without looking at him, she grabbed her bag as to leave the place, leaving Kagami dumbfounded._

* * *

"Damnit."

It was before dawn when he starts playing in a nearby street court. Kagami tch'd as he dribbled in a little fast pace, positioned to shoot the ball into the basket and he did. The redhead blew a breath in a form of exhale, even as he gets the aimless slow-paced ball that already hit the fence.

"What was the message about that made you angry, Karadai?" He thought aloud as he shoots the ball from where he was presently standing and it got into the basket again.

As he landed on the ground from his leap just now, he placed his hand on his hip and looked towards the rising sun on the east of the court. Heaving in exhaustion, he scratched his nape and went towards to corner to get his things.

"Was the bringing over some breakfast for her a bad move?" The redhead then again thought aloud as he gathered his stuff to go on his way. When he realized what he thought just now, he inwardly cursed himself. Of all things to worry about, why would that be a big issue? IT WAS JUST BREAKFAST.

As he reached the school gym, the student coach and the captain, even the other seniors and freshmen were present. His eyes darted from left to right, even as he accidently placed his duffel bag over Izuki's bag. The redhead caught note of his other teammates emerging from the lockers in their practice attires then.

"Yo! Kagami! Looking for Karadai?"

The redhead's attention was caught by Hyuuga, who was already in his practice attire, and he nodded his head lightly.

"Where is she?"

"She might be running a bit late, I guess. We'll have to warm up quick." Hyuuga stated, earning a nod from the tall redhead. "I fear… Riko's going to kill us today…" the four-eyed Seirin captain muttered, earning a confused look from Kagami.

_'Huh?'_

_"I talked her out of it, to give you some time, Nee-san," _Tetsuya's soft monotone was heard from the other line, causing the sky-bluenette to sigh, mostly in relief. He clearly knew the news he texted last night was depressing—no, it was burdening, but he had to make sure she knew.

"Thanks, Tetsu. It's really helpful, honestly." Kamiko nodded, even thought she knows he couldn't see her appreciative gesture. She was packing her extra white shirt and jeans into her duffel bag as something to change into after training today.

Oh and today was a Friday. Every Friday at Seirin High, students, boys and girls, are in almost every spot of the school—be it the dojo, the gym, the art rooms, the theatres—in their respective club uniforms as they attend their extra-curricular. To simply put it for ignorant people to understand, Fridays are dedicated for the club activities—half day or even whole day. It's practically like a free day—a free day at school. It's fine though because it's fun.

"How's your stay in America anyway?"

_"It's fine. Oh, I was planning to visit you to see you play for the Inter High Preliminaries…" _

She can detect a smile in his words, making her smile as well.

Ever since she started playing basketball with Akashi in grade school every after classes, Tetsuya would always tag along to watch her play. It has been a routine—more like an escape from everything, especially when the skyblue crowns' parents were in an accident during their 3rd grade. Tetsuya, though at first, thought that basketball was boring but when he saw his sister play, it was when his mindset about basketball then changed. He wanted to play with them but he was too weak unlike his sister, nonetheless, he enjoys the sport from the bottom of his heart.

"Really? But what about your studies there?"

_"They can wait. Not to brag but I'm already ahead of my classmates."_

She giggled at her brother's cute monotone.

"Alright, alright. Whatever you say. The question is… where are you staying?"

She must have heard a faint snort on the other line when the male bluenette answered._"With you, of course. I need to minus the accommodation expenses at least." _Tetsuya rolled his eyes playfully as he used his 'duh' monotone at his older sister, even though he knew she couldn't see it.

Kamiko laughed at his failed attempt to sound sassy. She looked at her reflection at the full-body mirror to check herself once more. '_Okay, all set.'_

"You're sleeping in the futon. I don't have a living room since my place is small. It means no couch at all." She reminded him as she picked up her duffel bag from her study table, walking out of her bedroom, her cell-phone still held between her ear and shoulder.

_"Yeah yeah. That's what I get for being related to you."_

"And I love you too, Tetsu!" She giggled as she countered him, earning a chuckle from him.

_"Whatever, Bakamiko. I gotta go. It's already late. Careful on your way to school today."_

She sighed sadly, not wanting him to hang up, but obliged anyways. She missed him so much.

"Take care, Tetsu! I miss you."

_"I miss you too, Kami-nee. Love you. Good night."_

To that, he hanged up, making her sigh heavily.

Kamiko then slipped her cell-phone into her bag, grabbing her keys on her way out, securing her place. Stepping out of her little gate, she suddenly remembered that she had an appointment with the doctor for her monthly therapy this morning. Taking out her phone again, she dialed the team's student coach and within 2 rings, Riko answered the call.

_"Mushi- mushi, Miko-chan! What's up?"_

"Aida-senpai, I'll be running a little late for the warm up… I remembered that I have an appointment in the hospital this morning."

_"Ah! Sure, no problem! I'll make sure others would know as well."_

"Thank you, Aida-senpai—"

_"Oh hush! Please call me Riko-chan from now on! I'm not going to let you in the gym if you keep calling me Aida-senpai. It makes me feel so old…"_

Kamiko cleared her throat, trying not to laugh at her coach's drama.

"O-Okay then… uh... R-Riko-chan." It felt odd, unnatural on her tongue, but she managed to choke the name out anyways, much to the brunette's pleasure.

_"Hai, hai, Miko-chan! Take care okay?"_

"Will do. See you then."

The sky-bluenette then hanged up rather quickly, slipping her phone back into her bag. As she was supposed to head left towards school, she turned her heel to the right to head to the hospital. She then felt a sharp pain on her right arm all of a sudden, making her flinch at the ache. Her left hand then rubbed her right arm gently, with an attempt to soothe the ache and it somehow did. To that, she heard Akkiko's voice in her subconscious.

_Again?_

Kamiko tsk'd and nodded stiffly as she continued walking, almost reaching the hospital.

_Please don't tell me you forgot to bring your painkillers with you?_

She stopped at her tracks as she began sticking her hand into her bag to find her painkillers but to no avail. The sky-bluenette can only face palm at her forgetfulness. Out of everything that she would forget, it was her painkillers for her right arm. It was prescribed by her doctor just in case she feels any pain in her right arm. _'Curse you for not reminding me at all, Akkiko.'_

_Not my fault you forget. _Akkiko 'snorted'.

Kamiko shook her head in disappointment, deciding against going back home to retrieve her painkillers as she noticed that she's already a block or two away from the hospital.

_So Tetsuya managed to stall your Aunt to give you time to do what?_

"To give me more time to think. Granted, I don't want to see her. That last time we did was in—"

_Yeah, total disaster, I get it. Want me to destroy her?_

The sky-bluenette sighed when Akkiko gleefully suggested that. She shook her head and kept walking again.

"As much as we hate each other's guts, she still bothered to raise me and Tetsu. So, no. And it's final, Akkiko," the sky-bluenette told her sternly, leaving Akkiko sulking in the corner of the sky-bluenette's subconscious.

* * *

Arriving at the Tanjou Hospital, she was greeted by a strong smell of antiseptic, making her scrunch her nose in disgust, still not used to the smell especially how many times she's visited the hospital, as she makes her way to the doctor's office that Kamiko always sees.

Going on the usual routine, her woman doctor, Dr. Shiraishi, asks her the standard questions, which includes her diet, whether she has been doing anything strenuous with her left arm which she said that she was training with it, 'taking it slow' as she quickly added. Kamiko then was instructed to lay bare her right shoulder after taking off her arm support. She did what the doctor had told her then the she tapped the nerves and muscles around the sky-bluenette's shoulder.

Finally, the doctor quirked her eyebrow and wrote something in her clipboard and like that past several times that she's visited here, the woman doctor walked up to her as the sky-bluenette slipped on her arm support and buttoned up her blouse before wearing her cream sweatshirt.

"It's improved from the last time you visited here but it's still far from usual," Dr. Shiraishi mused lightly, holding onto her clipboard against her side as the doctor faced her regular lady patient.

The sky-bluenette sighed and shrugged lightly. "It's not that I was expecting anything from it all," she fixed her hair into a more proper look. "But, _someone _once told me that I shouldn't be apathetic about it so I had to train it…" She said as she looked at the doctor. "Just to exercise it." She added as an afterthought, earning a semi-amused chuckle from the doctor.

Kamiko's injury was known to every middle school district back during their third year of Hanzo, especially since their school, like Teiko, is pretty famous in a sense, and not to mention that Kamiko is the only girl playing in an _all-boys' _team at that point in time, but only the Generation of Miracles and the Uncrowned Kings actually knew how bad the injury really was.

Other schools, even the first through third string players of Hanzo, which also includes their coach, just assumed that the injury is a normal one. It is a secret that all the members of the Generation of Miracles and the Uncrowned Kings had shared, even now, and as a result, all of them are unusually withdrawn about their middle school days.

She told Kagami last night at will about what happened during the third year, but left out the rest of the details since it was too soon to spill the rest of the beans to a newcomer like Kagami Taiga. Riko and Hyuuga, however, found out the gist, just like what the redhead had told her, but she was grateful that they did not grill the information out of her since they must have thought that she would tell them sooner or later and that's what she intended to do as push comes to shove. Yet.

She couldn't control the motions of her once-dominant right arm and shoulder as well as she used to. Hanamiya had crippled Kamiko's right shoulder, thus leaving her no choice but to switch to her left arm if she still wished to play basketball [ As Akashi told her.].

"I'll take my leave from her, Dr. Shiraishi. Thank you." She stood up and gave the doctor a stiff yet polite bow, which the woman doctor gave an appreciative nod at her gesture, as she picked up her bag and left the office.

_Oh! There's Pocari in the vending machine, Kami!_

Kamiko nodded then turned to where the vending machine was, only to have an older cute boy with a wee shaggy brown hair and a gentle pair of dark eyes—obviously a patient, judging from the hospital gown that he was wearing, bumped into her.

"Ah sorry—eh? Kamiko?"

The sky-bluenette finally faced the boy and her honey-glazed eyes widened just a fraction at the sight of the person before her—

"K-Kiyoshi?"

"What are you doing here?" Ironic as it sounds, they both talked at the same time, suddenly succumbing into the air of awkwardness that hovered about them.

"You first!" And they did it again, causing the girl to sigh in amusement as the boy sheepishly grinned and scratched his nape.

"Ladies first."

"Kiyoshi, I may really be a guy for all who cares, you know," the sky-bluenette then poked his side playfully, causing him to laugh. "It's been long."

"Thank God for not adding 'senpai.' It's making me feel old, really," He grinned childishly, causing her to smile gently. "Yeah, it has been. Your monthly therapy went well this time, I guess?" She quirked her eyebrows, making the boy blink as he tries to go over his words, wondering if he said anything wrong to the girl. His adorable confused face made her giggle a bit, relaxing her tensed muscles.

_'He reminds me of Riko-chan and it's … odd.'_

"It improved as the doctor said but it's still far from usual," Unconsciously, her hand darted to her right arm, rubbing it gently. Kiyoshi nodded in acknowledgement as he picked a candy from his hospital gown pocket and offered it to her, which she politely declined.

"Too bad, they taste really good." The boy commented with a grin, throwing the already-unwrapped sweet into his mouth. She blinked at the boy.

_'Should he really be eating sweets if he's a patient here? Won't it set his recovery back?'_

Kamiko looked at Kiyoshi and his hospital gown, trying to understand what situation he was in. "Why are you dressed in a hospital gown? Is something wrong?"

Kiyoshi chuckled as he moved to sit at the nearby bench, motioning her to sit with him, which she obliged to.

"There is. Halloween is around the corner and I couldn't wait to wear my best costume." He tried to keep a straight face, but earned a light punch on the shoulder from her, causing him to make a playful groan. "H-Hey! I was just kidding!"

The sky-bluenette smiled a little but was immediately replaced with a frown. "Why are you really here, Kiyoshi?"

"I got rehabilitated again," he simply answered as he looked on the window in front of them, even as the sky-bluenette pressed her lips into a thin line, knowing that _he _had something to do with this.

"How long has it been since you rehabilitated?"

"Well, a week after your release. So that was…" Kiyoshi stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Ah… four months at the most?"

Kamiko sighed as she moved her attention from the brunette to the window as well, forgetting her pocari. She somehow felt bad that she didn't know that he was admitted right after her release. If others would have known, they would have told her about it.

"Others didn't know because I didn't tell them and you, but well," the boy looked at her with a stupid grin, answering the question in her mind, catching her in surprise but recovered quickly. "I'm caught red-handed by you so I earned another smack from you."

The girl rolled her eyes at his stupidity and shook her head with a smile. "No, I understand. It's fine. Reo and Kota would freak if they hear about your condition though. Eikichi… meh," she scrunched her nose for an effect, causing the boy to chuckle, even as she chuckled along as well.

"But, this is what Hanamiya really wanted, huh?" She sobered up, her face turned grim, causing the boy to look at her. "I already know about his immense hatred for me since 1st year, but this..." She looked at the boy, who has the most confused expression all over his face before he finally laughed, in turn confusing the girl.

"W-What's so funny about that?"

The brunette clutched on his stomach as he continued to laugh, as the sky-bluenette became mildly annoyed at his sudden change of mood.

"Sorry, sorry! I have no idea why I laughed." He choked out the words, in between the laughter as he managed to sober up, rubbing his stomach as he tries to ease down the ache from laughing too hard. The sky-bluenette shook her head in amusement as she placed her duffel bag on her lap. "You're right about Hanamiya, but the—" He was cut off by a dismissive wave of hand coming from Kamiko, whose face was inexpressive, causing him to blink.

"I know, Kiyoshi. I was there, remember?"

The boy smiled a little and nodded in agreement. "The pain came back around 4 months ago, so I had to come back here to rehabilitate again, but, pfft! I'm recovering fast since everyone's waiting for me." He then grinned widely as he ruffled her hair, causing the girl to roll her honey-glazed eyes and slapping his hand playfully as she muttered, "Not the hair. I just fixed that."

"Sorry, sorry!" He retracted his hand from her head, placing it on his lap, still looking at her. "So are you on your way then?"

She blinked as she tried to register his words. "Ah, gosh… I need to go, unfortunately." Kamiko sighed as she stood up from the bench and he does the same, only slower than her pace. "Sorry, Kiyoshi, and…" She side-glanced at the boy with one eye open. "Get better sooner or I'll come back and haunt you while you sleep." She then grinned, causing Kiyoshi to blink in confusion but grinned nonetheless.

"Eh, I wouldn't want that… Oh! Which high school are you in now?"

"Seirin High—Shimat-ta! The coach is going to kill me! Ja ne, Kiyoshi!"

She then disappeared quickly towards the exit without looking back, missing the raising of eyebrows from the boy as she said 'Seirin High.'

Kiyoshi Teppei then smiled, playing with the wrapper that once covered the candy that he ate just moments ago. He looked back at the window, then started walking back towards his hospital room.

"So we'll be playing for the same team again, huh?" He mumbled to himself with a grin, caught unaware of a faint blush across his cheeks as he reminisced a too-fond memory from not too long ago. "I'm really looking forward to playing with you again, Karadai Kamiko."

_You completely forgot the Pocari, Kami._

"I know, Akkiko! But we have to run or Riko-chan's is going to kill me for being so late!" Kamiko replied, dashing past the unaware-then-surprised nurses and patients, as she stepped out of hospital, gripping on her duffel bag, going on her way to the school.

* * *

"MOVE YOUR BUTTS FASTER OR I'LL TRIPLE THE NUMBER OF LAPS! MOVE!"

The bellowing voice of Seirin High's student-coach Riko could be heard screaming at her players as they did their usual drills and warm-ups around the court before they actually got to the real training.

"D-Damnit! Isn't she even more tedious than usual?!" Koganei wheezed, forcing his already-aching legs to press on even faster, causing him to sprint like a goose.

"Shhh! Do not let Riko hear you say that." Hyuuga warned in a whisper, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a sky-blue crown entering the gym. "Oh! Kamiko!" Still on the run, he waved stiffly at the said girl who just arrived, already in her practice attire.

Kamiko nodded in acknowledgement and a single wave as she went into the lockers to stack her bag there.

"Eh? Miko-chan is already here?" Riko looked around, her hand on the whistle that was hanging on her chest and as if her question was answered, Kamiko emerged from the lockers, heading towards the short brunette. The short brunette then looked at the sky-bluenette and grinned, nodding at her presence. "How was your appointment?"

"It's fine, Aida-senpai—I mean... err… Riko-chan," Kamiko cleared her throat as she realized her mistake almost immediately, noting Riko's grin of pleasure at her effort to call her that.

"You were actually just in time though, Miko-chan… Everyone! Just continue on. Hyuuga-kun, I'm counting on you on this!" She shot the captain a glare, causing him to gulp and made the rest of the players to do as what the coach instructed.

"Ah, Riko-chan. Do you need something?"

The short brunette walked over to the bench as the sky-bluenette followed closely behind, sitting together as their figures faced the tired players who were still running for the remaining number of laps.

"Well, we needed a practice match and I had to go scout and get one by next week. I want to see the improvements we have from our daily trainings." Riko replied, as her attention was focused at her diligent players.

"And… you need my help to narrow down the possible high schools to practice match with, right?"

The brunette glanced at the sky-bluenette and at her arm spandex, then back at the players.

It seemed that it was too much, but with all the trainings and the team's devastating defeat a year ago, she couldn't just idle around anymore. Riko pressed her lips together, in thought. For the sake of her team and _that _person, she had to press the team beyond its limits if they still wanted to fully overcome the trauma from their defeat in order to really move forward.

"This will be a good thing for the basketball team, Riko. In this way, they can improve their faults from there on and improve to become even better," Kamiko pointed out and nodded in agreement, causing her to look at the sky-bluenette in surprise: surprised at how casual and informal the sky-bluenette mention the lady-coach's first name, not that the coach is complaining or anything. "We did what you're about to do back in Hanzo." She continued, rubbing her right arm gently. "Our former coach found us a lot of practice opponents from different middle schools. It had been part of our training eventually."

She sighed as she remembers those days. It was hard work, but they all loved it… because they loved the game, and that was until third year came by.

As Riko was about to open her mouth to speak, the sky-bluenette again continued, but this time, a solution to their coach's problem. "There's Morita High, Saotome Gakuen, Kokeshi no Gin High and…" The sky-bluenette sighed as she voices out the name of the school where a _certain _blonde that she knew quite well attends there. "… Kaijo High."

"Kaijo High? The school who always participates in the Inter High every year?"

To that, Kamiko nodded shortly as Riko pondered about the said school.

"The school of the National level, that's them. As far as I've seen, they are the best school to practice match with, unlike the others." The sky-bluenette explained to her just briefly and the brunette nodded then with a grin.

"Well, it's set. I'll go check the school right now. Take care of the boys while I'm away, Miko-chan~!" Standing up abruptly, the short brunette quickly left the sky-bluenette confused in her spot and Hyuuga noticed this.

"Oi, guys! That's it for now. Rest for 10 minutes then we'll hit the baskets," his voice bellowed the gym, sending visible relief to the rest of the weary players as they dropped dead on the floor, panting heavily and catching their breath.

"What's Riko up to now, Kamiko?" Hyuuga wearily walked towards the girl as he helped himself with a fresh towel and just about then, Kamiko threw him a bottle of water, which he caught in the process.

"She's out to scout for a school to practice match with next week." She simply answered as she passed the bottles of water to the other players and some fresh towels too.

Kagami glanced at Kamiko as he got up from the floor, catching the bottle of water as it was thrown to his direction this time. The redhead just nodded in appreciation and the sky-bluenette smiled a little before turning her attention back to the captain, who was helping himself to sit beside her in the bench.

"Which school?"

"She told me not to tell." _'Although she really didn't.' _Kamiko mused lightly to herself as she caught sight of an exhausted look from the captain.

Hyuuga snorted as he gulped down the water. "Typical Riko." He said, after drinking water. _'I wonder which school to practice with.' _He took a quick glance at the other players. _'Knowing her, she might find a stronger school to against to see us out.'_

* * *

"Kasamatsu-senpaaaaaiiii~!"

A high-pitched voice that came from a certain cheery male blonde was heard as the boy came running into the Kaijou gym. The other regulars were already present as they were warming up for their trainings that day and the current Kaijou captain, Kasamatsu Yukio, twitched at their Ace's cheerful voice and headbutts the blonde as he finally neared the shorter player, causing the blonde to clutch his aching forehead and groan in pain.

"T-That hurt, Kasamatsu-senpai!" The blonde whined as he rubbed his aching forehead gently, trying to ease the pain as he glanced down at his senior.

"You are noisy and late! Why are you even late?!" The captain frowned as he said this, giving the sheepishly-looking blonde a hard glare.

"There's a girl from another school—"

"Hello everyone!"

A female polite tone was heard by then and all pairs of eyes landed on the short brunette, who judging from her uniform doesn't go to school here.

Kasamatsu blinked at the girl but as he was about to say something, Moriyama beat him to it as he introduced himself—rather flirty, though earning a painful kick from the said girl then, who looked rather pissed at Moriyama's poor approach. Hayakawa, Kobori, Kasamatsu, and even Kise sweat dropped at the sight, only as their attention turned towards the dusting movement of the unknown girl, who still was wearing an annoyed expression on her face. The girl shook her head in irritation as she faced the nearby players.

"I'm Aida Riko, Seirin High School basketball coach. I would like a word with your Captain, since I can't find your coach or manager anywhere."

* * *

As the training went on and ended for the day, they thought Riko must have went home first, so they huddled up quick then change into their fresh clothes in their lockers, with Kamiko being the first to come out of the lockers. As soon as they were all done, they went out together, only to part ways as they reached outside the Seirin gates, with Kagami and Kamiko walking home together then. The seniors wondered why at first, but the sky-bluenette cleared up the curiosity, telling them that the redhead and herself lived on the same street coincidentally, earning a glare from Kagami because of the word 'coincidentally' and few laughs and nods from the seniors then as they went their own ways.

"Ne, Hyuuga, what is Miko-chan's surname again?" It was Koganei who asked, as him, Mitobe and the captain were walking home together since they lived in the same area.

"Ah, uh… Karadai. Why do you ask?"

"Eh? That name sounds familiar, you know? Karadai… Karadai… err… who was that basketball coach in America?" The cat-face frowned in thought as he tried to recall to the point when he had to knock on his skull rather hard and the silent but gentle giant was listening.

"Oh? Well," Hyuuga adjusted his eyeglasses on his nose bridge, holding onto his duffel bag with his free hand. "Karadai… ah! Karadai Leo. The former American Women Tigers' coach and manager, already deceased."

To that, Koganei snapped his attention towards the four-eyed captain and nodded in agreement, rather happily. "Yeah! That guy! Karadai Leo, huh? Remember the news that he married a basketball player from that team too? Rumours stated that he married a Todo!"

"E-Eh?! Todo?! A-As in… Todo Technologies Co.?!" Hyuuga spluttered as he stared back at the cat-face who was still grinning widely. "T-They're one of the richest families, if not the only one, here in Japan!"

Mitobe just nodded along, listening at the conversation between Koganei and Hyuuga as they neared their area. The street lights were dimly-lit but it was fine since it is sprawling from one meter to another. There were a few lights on from some houses that they passed by: from the bedrooms, or the bathrooms, the living rooms, even the dining hall. The boys could even hear faint laughter from those houses they passed by, suggesting that some neighbors were living the moment.

"Well, we shouldn't jump into assumptions, Koganei, though I'm fully aware that some people rarely carry a surname like 'Karadai' or 'Todo' these days." The captain scratched his temple. "It must be coincidence, don't you think?"

Koganei glanced at the four-eyed and simply shrugged, stretching out his arms as they rested behind his head. "I wouldn't think so." For once, he sounded serious and Hyuuga and Mitobe were surprised. "Within the Todo's, they all sported blue hair and Albert Einstein intelligence, like Miko-chan," he explained. "At first, it was all coincidence like you said, but it wasn't. Todo Misao then Karadai Misao, then Kuroko Misao, the youngest daughter of the Todo Clan, the renowned WNBA's WAT basketball player and one of the best coaches in Rakuzan High, was Miko-chan's deceased mother."

Mitobe and Hyuuga can only continue to stare Koganei in surprise, even at his words.

_'Kamiko's mother was a Rakuzan High basketball coach?! T-That's one of the most prestigious schools in Kyoto, if not the whole Japan! She must have inherited her parents' natural talents in basketball, huh? Tsk, as Riko said firsthand that Kamiko is never to be underestimated and she's right all along.' _Hyuuga pondered then as they dropped Mitobe off in his house, leaving Koganei and himself as they walked together, also nearing their respective homes. _'Kamiko must have known not to tell us who she really was because she thinks we would look at her differently as soon as we find out that she was the daughter of the best and well-known basketball players and coaches.'_

"She did make the right choice, even if she didn't really," Hyuuga broke the silence between the both of them causing Koganei to tilt his head in his direction, rather confused.

"About what exactly?"

"I think she wants to be treated like a normal person, not some royalty just because she's related to a Todo and a Karadai, even a Kuroko." The captain nodded, convincing himself, leaving the cat-face more confused, but eventually he caught on and grinned.

Since Hyuuga and Koganei's houses are practically next to each other, the captain stopped on his tracks, looking as if he was pondering over something, making the cat-faced boy halt just shy away from his gate to look back at the four-eyed classmate.

"Well, it's fine. I never really care about the surnames or titles or whatnots," the Seirin captain said after his moments of silence. "Until we prove what _that _guy had told stories about true, let's see more of what that girl is really made of. After all, she is _his_ former teammate and a silly kiddie crush." Hyuuga chuckled a bit, causing Koganei to shake his head in amusement.

"We're not going to be disappointed."

* * *

"Kota-chan! Stop right there! That's my orange juice!"

Meanwhile at Kyoto, more specifically at Rakuzan High School, the only lights turned on were the school grounds and the gym, where all the team's players were present for a late practice. Rakuzan's basketball captain and point guard, Akashi Seijuro, who always looked as emotionless and neutral as usual, stepped into the gym with a dark aura emitting around the said teen as his fellow teammates were still running around like children. Reo and Kotaro were chasing each other as the silver-haired player, Chihiro, was silently sitting down on the bench, panting from the training. Eikichi, however, was sprawled on the floor, tired from the day's training as well. The red crown then walked towards them, his right forefinger hooked on the collar of his jersey jacket that hanged on his back.

"You never share! You're mean, Reo-nee!" A certain carrot head—Hayama Kotaro, giggled and grinned, purposefully annoying Reo even more as the taller male tried to glomp the childish-minded member, but failed miserably. Kotaro, though on the other hand, caught sight of the nearing heterochromatic-eyed redhead crown, wearing his usual neutral expression even on court, unaware of the dark aura around their captain.

"Oh! Captain!"

The orange haired male waved happily at him, as their attention was turned towards their Captain then and stopped on their tracks. A certain tall raven crown male was one to break the tensioned silence that hovered in the air. "Sei-chan! Where have you been!?"

The soft red crown stared at the taller male blankly as he stood still on the spot where he paused on his tracks. "Kotobuki Suzuki needed my 'help', but she lied just to get to me." He answered in a monotone as he wrapped his shoulders with his jersey jacket, crossing his arms, as he ran his fingers through his messy short red locks.

"The student council vice president, Kotobuki-san? Eh?! I told you she likes you, Akashi-san—" The carrot head, who was grinning widely, was stopped abruptly at the warning look that was sent his way by their Captain, causing him to blink and gulped to feared silence.

Reo rolled his eyes playfully as he placed a hand on his hip, facing the red head, who just glared back at the taller teenager. "We all told you the same thing, well, except Chihiro here who was always quiet and Eikichi, who never really pays attention at all." That made the red head snorted scornfully. "So what did you do with the girl?"

"Left her crying for her mommy," Akashi bluntly answered, leaving Reo and Kotaro to hang their heads, actually feeling sorry for that SC vice president. "I wasted my warm up time on her. Therefore, I had to make her pay."

To that, the raven haired male inwardly face palmed at their captain's harsh treatment to everyone, especially to girls, despite being the most sought-after guy in the entire school. It's been like that ever since Akashi enrolled in Rakuzan High School: topping the entrance examinations, taking over the student council as the president. The heterochromatic-eyed redhead was even immediately captain of the basketball team on the day of the club recruiting on the first day. Not that the rest of them were complaining. In fact, they were all in awe of the said boy, having once faced him and his former team back in _that_ National championships.

The taller raven haired crown wasn't sure that if any of them really paid attention back in middle school, but he did remember the redhead dropping by once to fetch their former captain. He did wonder from then what the redhead's real relationship with her, even until now, though he hasn't been able to ask Akashi.

"In that pace, you'll never get a girlfriend, Sei-chan!" Reo playfully scolded their captain, making the redhead dart his hetero-chromatic eyes towards the wall, as he half-listened to Reo. "You keep pushing them away when you know they want you!"

He thought that they should be at least thankful that they are treated in a much more civilized and professional manner then since they are his teammates. He's like this to his former team, so what's different?

Akashi had had enough of Reo's naggings about his cold treatment towards everyone around him, especially towards girls. Actually, he held no interest towards girls whom he already knew had been fawning over him since day one. They bore him at first sight; all except one.

The redhead clenched his jaw as he keeps his composure, closing his hetero-chromatic eyes for a moment before speaking.

"If you're that much of a love expert, go get yourself a girlfriend, but until then, I'm going to call it a day tonight and we'll resume our training next week, tripling the amount of laps around the court," The captain snapped his hetero-chromatic eyes open and shoots a glare to each one of them as they all nodded frantically and headed towards the lockers to change, leaving Akashi alone in his thoughts.

"Girlfriend, huh…" He mumbled as he moved to actually wear his jacket, the name 'Rakuzan' clearly displayed on his back. The redhead then picked up his duffel bag from the bench as he walked out of the gym, turned its lights off, leaving the door half-open since Reo has the keys.

Memories that involved a certain sky-bluenette came into mind and unconsciously, a small smile came across his face. He then looked up the dark clouds, indicating that it would rain anytime soon. Almost immediately as he reached the gates, he saw a familiar car, waiting for him to take him home. As he neared the car, his butler, Cole, was patiently standing there beside the car, opening the back seat door for the redhead.

"Good evening, Seijuro-sama."

The redhead nodded in acknowledgement towards the young butler and went in the car, with the door closed behind him as the butler got back in the front seat and started the engine. Feeling the car in motion as to come home, he looked out the window rather bored of the ride, barely seeing a reflection of his hetero-chromatic eyes as he thought of her again.

When did his attraction to the said girl really started then?

**Flashback: at the first day of 1st grade**

_'Ne, ne, Mimi-san. Isn't that the only son of the head of the Akashi Financial Group?'_

_'Eeeeh?! I heard his family is very rich! No wonder they could afford a school such as this one.'_

_That's right. Akashi Seijuro is the only son of Akashi Masato, the Head of the finest financial groups in Japan. Since he was the only son and legitimate heir to be handed over the business, Akashi Seijuro was brought up under strict rules of his father, even from a very young age. It was suffocating, he'll give you that, since the boy had no such desire to take over the business, much to his father's disappointment , though the only freedom he would experience during his hardships was when his loving mother would play basketball with him. _

_Granted, basketball became his escape from his reality, especially when his mother was the only one among many others who encouraged him to enjoy the sport. He was geared up even more, rules made much stricter by his distant father, making the boy more desperate to disappear._

_'I hope I could make some friends at least,' was his wishful thinking before he entered the class, but it was nearly the sound of bell and he hasn't made any friends, even from his classmates. Whenever he tried to get close in an attempt to make a conversation, his classmates would somehow stay away from him, afraid of his presence alone._

_Remember when his father had become stricter than usual; he unconsciously inherited his father's intimidating presence as he was growing up. That's why he wasn't able to make friends and he thought he really couldn't, despite how many times, but well, that's what he thought._

_When school finally ended, as to be a daily routine, he was to be picked up by his butler when he heard voices and someone crying on the way out the classroom, coming from the nearby restrooms. Curiosity then killed the cat, so he, with his backpack strapped on his back, neared the restrooms and the barely audible voices he heard became clear._

_'Ehhh! You're so filthy! Get away!'_

_'Don't you brush your hair?! You're so ugly!' _

_Then he heard a piercing scream, followed by continuous crying and hiccups. He thought he wasn't to meddle at anyone's business but there were bullies picking on someone inside the restroom. He wanted to save the person, just as he wanted to save his mother from dying, but somehow, somewhere, his legs couldn't move. Was he afraid? No. He wasn't afraid but he had no clue why he couldn't move. As he was still listening behind the half-opened door, he took a peek on the opening, he swore he saw a person—no, a girl—whom the bullies were picking on, standing up from the floor with her tear-stained round cheeks, staying unusually silent. Her bullies didn't like the sight of it, so as she tried to pull the girl's sky-blue hair, the boy saw the girl snapped her attention at the girl-bully, reaching out the poor bully's forehead in a speed quicker than the speed of sound and light. The boy couldn't make out the sky-bluenette's face since her bangs hid most of her upper face, but he caught sight of a wide smirk that was across her lips and a clear phrase that sounded like cut glass._

_"Death…" The sky-bluenette was still holding onto the wailing girl's forehead as she tried to remove her hand from her forehead but to no avail. "… and Destruction." That snapped the once-wailing girl as her eyes turned white and was motionless. The sky-bluenette then dropped the lifeless body on the floor without mercy, turning her attention towards her remaining victims._

_He just stood at his place, watching as her bullies were taken down one by one, surprised that there was no blood split whatsoever, as the sky-bluenette just grabbed them by their foreheads then in a split-second their eyes rolled white and like the first one, they became lifeless. _

_Four dead bodies in total, the sky-bluenette just stood there, motionless then suddenly she looked up the ceiling, her eyes still concealed by her bangs. There were fresh tears that rolled her cheeks then the faintest of smile then ran across the girl's lip and a whisper that caught his attention the most._

_'It's alright now. Don't cry. I'm sorry that they caused you trouble, but don't worry. They'll never bother you again,_ _sukoshi tsuin__. I'll protect you always, okay?'_

_And to that, he immediately opened the door wide, startling the girl and stopped him on his tracks as they both stared at each other. No words can describe the unfamiliar thump that suddenly ached his chest._

_The girl before him looked so strong yet vulnerable; an unlikely mixture of demon and angel in one glass and like him, she was an outsider as well. _

_Her honey-glazed eyes pooled once more as she saw him. The sky-bluenette's shoulders started to shake as she tried to control her flowing tears, but was unable to do so. She looked like she was having a hard time to calm down after what happened, so the boy then slowly came up to her and closed the wide gap into just centimeters away from each other. The girl then noticed this, looking up at the boy in front of her and suddenly her tears stopped and she stopped shaking. She just stared at him at he to her. The boy thought that she would be like the other children who would be scared of him to even come near him, but he saw that the girl did not move from her spot. Her face was expressionless, making him raise his eyebrows as he was unable to see what the girl was really thinking._

_And the most surprising thing that happened was…_

_Her lips broke into a smile and it threw him off-guard. The girl then rubbed her wet eyes with her sleeve and sniffed, wiping her sweaty hands on the hem of jumper and looked at the boy again, with her now-dry hand being offered for a friendly shake._

_"Uh oh! My name is Karadai Kamiko, but you can call me Kami."_

**End of Flashback**

Since that day at the restrooms, the girl, Kamiko, became his very first friend and made another with Kamiko's younger brother, Tetsuya. He remembered the girl sticking close to him most of the time, but he could care less. He was alright with it, though at first the name-calling was nearly impossible. She wanted to call him "Sei-chan" and despite how many times they would argue, he left it at that, knowing full that there's no end to their arguments; then he got used to the name, eventually.

The whole time that she was with him, his chest ached with so much happiness that he couldn't describe; the kind of happiness that he missed when his mother was still alive—happiness that comes from playing basketball. He was able to find someone who shared the same interest in a game like basketball and it was one of the most memorable things in his dull life.

As they reached home, his butler then quickly opened the door for him, with him stepped out with his duffel bag. Reaching for his phone, he flipped it open then, his steely heterochromatic eyes landed on a certain picture on the screen: the sky-bluenette carelessly grinning with a faint blush across her pale cheeks as she hopped to hug his neck, causing him to lose some of his balance with a playful scowl on his face, though he knew in himself that he was fighting a smile that was threatening his lips then.

When was this taken?

**Flashback: First Year in Middle School—After final examinations**

_"Sei!" _

_A rather melodic voice that called out the redhead's name echoed in the Teiko's gym was heard then, causing a lot of pairs of eyes present to see who it was. Just as the ball hit the basket rather smoothly, his red eyes turned their attention towards the sky-bluenette who was running towards him, waving happily. The ball then bounced aimlessly as he finally faced the nearing girl, noticing that she was still in her respective uniform, though her red vest was already off as she only had her white long sleeves carelessly folded to elbow high. Her sky-blue hair was let loose this time, just a red ribbon braided, noting that it was already past her shoulders as it bounces at her every step. _

_"Examinations are finally over at Hanzo?" Akashi placed a hand on his hip when he spoke as the sky-bluenette stop just less than a meter from him, panting lightly._

_"Yep! I gave the team days off from trainings for today since it's a Friday as well. We'll just return to normal by Monday," Kamiko gave a sweet smile, which she didn't know warmed his being in a heartbeat. The girl turned her attention from the silent redhead towards the players who were present at the gym and gestured at them. "You should give them a time off, Sei. I mean, it's only for this weekend, especially when hell week just finished…" She trailed off._

_Akashi glanced at the situation that she was gesturing then and sighed. He didn't like to slack from trainings, but he knew the girl was right. Hell week has been mentally draining, though he didn't have problems with his academics since he always topped all of his subjects. The first strings to the third strings, who were just as average… well, he wouldn't want to have to take responsibility of any of his players to be absent because they were too tired or sick even._

_"Fine, I'll let them off the hook for now, but I'm tripling their usual amount of trainings by next week," the redhead obliged, as the sky-bluenette rolled her honey-glazed eyes at his harshness towards his players. _

_As Akashi announced that he's giving them a time off, the players rejoiced, though it was short-lived when the redhead added that he'll be extra hard on them by the next week. At least they were able to rest their brains from the just-finished examinations. When the redhead finally gathered his things, the sky-bluenette was waiting for him by the entrance of the gym then, with her duffel bag slung across her upper body._

_"Are you ready, Kami?" The redhead emerged from the gym then, his voice slightly startling the girl as she faced him. He caught sight of her flushed cheeks, inwardly thinking of how cute the blush was on her then, though he would never say it out loud._

_"I was waiting for you so I'd ask you the same thing." She replied, her attention then was stolen by her younger brother, who just arrived from his last exam for the day._

_"K-Kami-nee!" Tetsuya wheezed lightly, stopping just a meter away from his sister to catch his breath. "Momoi-san told me you'd be here waiting for Akashi-kun—"_

_"Tetsu-kun!"_

_A high-pitched bubbly voice was heard, causing the redhead to face palm, the female sky-bluenette to shake her head and the male sky-bluenette to pale as the latter glanced at his sister for help, to which the female sky-bluenette giggled. The pinknette finally caught up with the latter with a grin and hugged him from behind._

_"I finally found you~! Tetsu-kun~!" The pinknette giggled, earning a smile from the female sky-bluenette and a neutral expression from the redhead… well, a sigh from the male-bluenette._

_"Momoi-san," Tetsuya shook his head and smiled a little, patting her head gently. "Are you ready?" Earning an energetic nod from the pinknette, Tetsuya turned his attention towards his older sister. "Well… we have to be on our way, then, Kami-nee."_

_Kamiko glanced at Akashi, who only nodded in response, then back at her younger brother. "Take care on your way okay?"_

_Just as the first pair were already two meters or so away from the latter, an arm—no, two arms snaked around the redhead's neck, causing him to nearly stumble on his spot because of the sudden weight on his shoulders. He glanced at his right, finding the sky-bluenette's clear smiling face looming against his and he made a scowling face to hide the growing heat from his cheeks. "What are you doing, Kami?"_

_"Eeeeh? I want to hug Sei… Sei-chan~!" The girl rubbed on his cheek gently against her own, whilst grinning, earning a glare from the latter._

_"You know I don't appreciate physical contact!" The redhead growled silently, still having his scowl on his face, as he tucked his hands on the pockets of his jersey jacket then, causing the girl to grin more._

_"Well… that's all the more the reason to hug you right now, Sei~! I'm an exception, right?"_

**End of Flashback**

_'You've always been an exception, Kami. Always.' _The soft red crown thought to himself, flipping his phone closed, as he walked into the lonely mansion, as a maid attended to his belongings, to which he declined dismissively with a single wave of his hand and helped himself into his bedroom.

As he opened his door, he stood by the way, his heterochromatic orbs barely straining as he looked like he was searching for something through the blackness of his room. To that, he switched on the light, revealing a neat and spacious semi-plain bedroom. The interior design was rather modern, glass, aluminum… though the only thing that stood out from the modernity of his room was his wooden study table, which he fondly cherished since it was a birthday gift… or rather the last birthday gift from his mother right before she passed away when he was in fifth grade.

He gave out a light sigh as he took off his jersey jacket on his way to his walk-in closet, hanging it on a vacant clothes hanger inside. Attending to his duffel bag, he threw his dirty clothes into the laundry hamper that was located just near his bathroom. When the duffel bag was finally empty, he went back to his closet to find two clean white v-neck shirts, dark jeans, training basketball shorts, undergarments and a fresh hand towel and stuffed them all into his empty duffel bag.

As he was finished stuffing the needed garments into his bag, he placed it on his table then, his heterochromatic eyes finding a sky-blue ribbon hanging loosely on the handle of his drawer. At the sight of it swaying gently as the soft zephyr breezed through his half-opened window, it brought a tender smile on his frowned lips, softening his features that always held his usual stoic expression. Leaning just a little as he unwrapped the ribbon from its place, falling silkily through his long calloused fingers when he brought it up on his eye level, examining it with sheer curiosity and wonder. Tilting it from left to right, the ribbon shimmered with a certain glow against the moonlight shining through his window.

_"Ne, Sei-chan~! I want you to keep this ribbon—like a promise ring, but it's a promise ribbon."_

_"What are you talking about, Kami? I don't remember promising—"_

_"I love you, Sei-chan~! That's a promise! You love me too, ne, Sei-chan? Then keep this!"_

"Like a moth attracted to the burning flame…" He muttered, his heterochromatic eyes softened, revealing the emotions that were once hidden for so long… so long that he thought he would never feel anything ever again… until only a mere thought of _her_ was present, shattering every calculation in his life to pieces; destroying the wall until it was only dust; until he was bare—until he was only himself. His _real _self.

"I hate how you of all people can make feel like this without me realizing it myself." He murmured, gazing up the crescent moon, his eyes covered by his long red bangs, causing a shadow to loom. "I detest this feeling… feelings that I don't understand; that I can't read; that I can't calculate; that I can't simplify in logical means. I detest anything that I don't understand." Despite its phase, it was still shining brightly. A hand that was holding the ribbon gently gripped on the poor silky thread. "You're unpredictable… You're the only person that I can't foretell…" He slammed the fisted hand on the table, a loud thump echoed across the silent room. His shoulders are shaking slightly but one knows his composure is falling apart. The redhead's eyes were still covered by his bangs, but one can't miss a barely controlled clenched jaw.

"You're the only person that I feel like I'm human for once…" A single tear glittered surprisingly as it ran down his cheek.

"Kamiko."

**[Edited: 14th of March, 2015 at 09:17]**


	3. Chapter 3

**Kamiko's PoV**

_"__He intentionally injured Mikocchi! Isn't that supposed to be all the proof there is to kick him out of the Nationals?!" _

_"… __Scissors! … Wrath of hell for hurting Kamiko!"_

_'… __Such a clever little girl, but unfortunately, that was really just for you…' _

_"… __Makoto! You know this from the back of your head that this is more than a foul!"_

_"__D-Damnit! This is so stupid! I n-need to stay strong for my t-team!" _

_"__Miko… cry all you want… I'll stay here. Be a stubborn ass but I don't care. I'll take care of you."_

_"__A-Aomine!" _

**_"_****_Kami, time to make him pay."_**

I woke up in a panic, my breathing ragged and my whole body sticky in sweat from the broken dream—more like broken pieces of memories of a past that I desperately tried to forget; the pieces that practically changed everything because of that sadistic bastard.

Clutching on my night shirt that became damp from too much sweat, I glanced at the digital clock on the bed side table.

_04:30 AM_

The numbers blared red and back at me and I sighed.

_'__Well, I can't go back to sleep like this, can I?'_

Pulling the covers off, I got up and went to my walk-in closet to change into my jogging attire that consists of a black plain shirt, a gray hoodie, black jogging pants and some pair of socks. It took a while to change as I blindly picked my desired outfit, too stubborn to turn the lights on, whilst tripping here and there as I walk towards the bathroom to freshen up.

First of all, jogging wasn't part of my daily routine during the Hanzo days. Training in the gym, weights, and stuff like that were enough for me, but ever since _that_, I had to change my routine. It was a nix, but worth it. Jogging helps calm my nerves, especially when I am accompanied with music in the ears, having an iPod as I go. It lets me forget my pain even for a while and it's a bit refreshing.

As I checked the doors, I locked them as I was out of the apartment, sticking my white ear-buds to each of my ear, slipping my iPod into my jacket's secret compartment. Looking around to be cautious, I quickly slipped my hoodie over my head; warming up a bit before I went on my way.

The streets were dimly lighted but it was fine. I jogged in the main streets, since I wouldn't risk entering shortcuts, especially around this time.

About an hour of jogging, I paused to catch my breath, resting my hands on my hips. I ended up at a familiar stadium where the basketball tournaments are usually held. It was almost the break of dawn, the morning rays of the sun shining behind the dome. Sliding off my hoodie from my head, I took my earbuds off, slinging the wires around my shoulders since I felt lazy on sticking everything into my hoodie compartment.

Deciding to sit by the bench to rest since I have a lot of time to spare before my first period today, I instinctively rubbed my right arm. It was not a flesh-to-flesh contact, but a flesh-to-nylon-spandex contact. I glanced down to see my right hoodie sleeve was pushed up, revealing a royal blue nylon-spandex full arm support sleeve.

_Irritating, is it? Just because the doctor said to use one doesn't mean it had to be followed._

I sighed as I heard Akkiko's voice in my consciousness. I can 'feel' her frowning which was not unusual but not common. Half-expecting a headache, I felt none.

"It's helping me—"

_… __To forget what had happened during the Nationals? You're so gullible! It's making you remember it instead of forgetting it. Seems like 'Bakamiko' isn't for teasing after all._

My eyes, trained on the floor, widened, not surprised. I knew she was right. Ever since the said accident, I wore an arm cast for a good 3 months. I skipped graduation but I was able to get my diploma after that. Every month since that, I needed to visit the doctor for a check-up and rehabilitation, to help keep an eye on my recovery. Surprisingly, my shoulder blade wasn't broken, but I lost its usual strength since it held one of my dominant parts of my body.

**Flashback: On the day of the Nationals during the third year**

_"__Kuso- san! Is it correct? Are we up against Teiko?"_

_I looked up from my right arm in curiosity, watching our coach's face. Her eyebrows furrowed with her lips pursed and I tilted my head in somewhat… anticipation, since I already knew who playing against who._

_"__Yeah, against the Generation of Miracles."_

_Silence._

_Slamming the locker, Reo leaned his back against it. "Coach, there's something else, is it?"_

_Our lady-coach glanced at Reo, whose face was surprisingly unreadable and serious. I can only think of something that is not good. Well, it's always not good._

_Staring at my coach, then to Reo, then to the rest of my teammates, I sighed wearily. In response, I only stood up from the bench, carefully adjusting my sports bra-like spandex, causing them to blink in confusion. I know what they were thinking now but it's already been common—the elimination thing. Previous middle school teams that we went up against, they all seem to keep me blocked, every time, to keep me from being unable to score for my team. That never stopped me, stopped us from crushing them to bits. It's a forever cycle, if I say so myself._

_ "__There's nothing too startling about what you're all thinking, Coach," I spoke softly, rubbing on my right arm. "We always have that coming." I added, tying my hair into a high pony-tail. "But that makes me wonder about something for once," I murmured but loud enough for all of them to hear. "Am I playing firsthand or at the two remaining quarters?"_

_"__It is not startling, I know, but I have a strong feeling that this is different, Kamiko-san," Kuso-san crossed her arms, her tone indicating that she somehow is annoyed at my lack of expressing emotions, I guess. "They're marking you against their Ace, Aomine Daiki. From what I have seen in their previous matches, he has the same ability as you have. The Right of Speed. Undoubtedly, he's stronger than the rest of his teammates."_

_'__Sounds oddly familiar,' I sighed at the mentioned name._

_"__I thought of making our only second-year first string, Sakishi, play for the first two quarters, but I'll leave it all to you, Kamiko-san." The coach smiled a little, making me quirk a brow. "You should really go make the most out of this game since it's your last year."_

_At the corner of my eye, Hanamiya just grinned rather sadistically to himself and I frowned at the sight of it. From the looks of it, I have a very bad feeling of what he's planning to do during the game._

_"__Don't mind him, Miko-chan, let's get our head in the game against Teiko," Hayama Kotaro, our Small Forward and the most childish minded of us, smiled, patting my shoulder, causing me to glance at the carrot head in confusion but grinned in response nonetheless._

_"__Don't forget me," Nebuya Eikichi, our Center and a rude glutton, grunted._

_Reo clapped his hands with a big grin, putting his hand on the center. "Ready, Hanzo?"_

_We looked at each other and shrugged, happily placing our hands over his, our coach who was shaking her heacd in amusement, jumped in._

_"__Hanzo, fight!"_

* * *

_Hanzo Junior High, 94 with Teiko Junior High, 105 in the fourth quarter with only 5 minutes left wasn't what I was—what we were all expecting. A timeout was given and we all sat on the couch with the feeling of too much exhaustion that coursed through our bodies. I sat up, a bottle in hand, watching Teiko's team in the state like ours. I spotted a close friend of a redhead, Akashi Seijuro, who was panting in concentration and tilted my head in curiosity._

_'__He's changed a lot,' I inwardly frowned as I shook away the thoughts that made me remember the very reason why he—everyone, in fact—changed. 'For the worst.'_

_As if he knew he was being stared at, Sei glanced at me without being so obvious by his teammates. He gave me a small smile in acknowledgement, sending unknown flutter in my chest as I kept up my straight face. I noticed his lips moved in a swift motion, as if trying to tell me something, but too soon, he looked away to gather up with the rest of his teammates._

_I raised my eyebrows at what he said, leaving me unusually unsettled._

_"__Watch out for your teammate, Hanamiya Makoto."_

_As we were all called out into the court to resume the last minutes of the fourth quarter, I noticed something changed in his team's pattern. For the last three quarters, their Ace was not marked against me. Instead, it was my blonde best friend, Kise Ryota, remembering the earlier quarters._

_Knowing his strengths and weakness because of hanging out with him and the rest of his fellow teammates almost every day, having your moves copied can be a real pain in the ass and thankfully, my way of basketball is not what he can easily copy. It's formless, no pattern, and it holds limitless possibilities. Holding the so-called title as the Demon Sixth Man isn't actually just for show, after all._

_This time around, I was marked by the mentioned Teiko's Ace, Aomine Daiki. He's the blue-haired tanned teen that Coach had spoken about in the lockers. I blinked in surprise as I watched the tanned teen walked up to me, with a smirk, as I was fighting the urge to outwardly sigh in front of him._

_I've seen him once or twice during Teiko's night trainings at their gym, but only at a distance. Since Atsu-kun, Sei, Satsuki, Shinta-kun, and Tetsuya all went home ahead, it was always around that time when Ryota and him goes on one-on-one, always leaving my cheery blonde best friend at the losing side. In some of their duels that I've ran into, I recognized the tanned teen's style of play almost immediately, remembering __**that **__day in 2__nd__ grade. _

_The fact that I lost against him before, he improved himself more, probably preparing himself to face me again, if ever it would happen._

_He was the only Generation of Miracles member whom I never had a conversation since I never always see him with the others, possibly with Satsuki and sometimes with Tetsuya. I chose not to show myself regardless of how many opportunities. I wanted our 2__nd__ meeting to be on court, not elsewhere. _

_And this was it._

_Frowning, I positioned myself before him. We were both ready. We faced each other, arms and legs in defense position. _

_Glancing again at him without being too obvious, I noticed he was cute up close, reminding me of a younger tanned boy version of him whom I played with in 2__nd__ grade. I guess if he smiles often like he used to, I'd say he would be undeniably handsome for a teenager like him. _

_Shaking my head in disappointment, I cursed myself for checking him out and looked at the referee who was about to sound the whistle, instead. At the corner of my eye, much to my annoyance, the opposing Ace smirked wider and I knew he knew I was checking him out._

_Cracking my neck to get me to relax, I smirked slowly, causing him to glance at my reaction. _

**_Are you sure that this is the right time, Kamiko? _**_I heard Akkiko speak in a whisper—a kind of whisper, despite she trying to hide it, sounded eager._

**_'_****_Yeah, now is the right time, Akkiko. Remember that 2_****_nd_****_ grade deal? This is it. Do what you have to do.'_**

_I felt every single one of them stared at me in confusion and surprise, except my fellow teammates and Sei and unexpectedly, Shinta-kun. I shrugged away the feeling and closed my eyes, breathing normally and evenly right before the whistle blow loud._

_Clearly, but unintentionally, I heard hushed voices from the audiences._

_'__T-That's impossible! She was there the whole time?__! Who's she?!'_

_'__W-What?! S-She's one of the best basketball players in history right!?'_

_'__Hey! That's who they call the … t-the Demon Sixth Man!'_

_The sound of 'praises' were deafening, but nevertheless, it felt good to be revered like that. I might really be a guy for all I care. Don't blame me for wearing a sports bra that's flattening my chest._

_Smirking wider, my eyes snapped open, the feeling of myself was completely replaced by another. _

_As I succumb to my own consciousness to let Akkiko take my place, my body began to still as to hibernate._

**_'_****_I'm leaving it up to you, Akkiko.'_**

_My physical body then responded with a sadistic smirk as it followed to position itself again, I knowing that this is really Akkiko's work now._

_"__Hai," My voice—more like, Akkiko's voice was heard, catching the tanned male in surprise, though he was still unmoving. _

_"__Let's go 110% then, shall we, Aomine?" _

_At the start of the whistle, I heard Kotaro and Reo signaling about it to the rest of our team, something with "Akkiko's back. Let's get ready." The adrenaline rush was superb. A fraction of a step back was made by Aomine, who recovered immediately after my sudden transformation, getting his head in the game. Akkiko, too, was in the game. There's no stopping us now._

* * *

_10 seconds and counting less, both legendary teams on a tie._

_131-131_

_In a heartbeat, I was already in control of my body again and I tsked, panting heavily. Switching places with Akkiko really is more exhausting and it's shortening my stamina rapidly. As I was trying to normal my breathing, I saw Hanamiya marking himself against Aomine. A rush of panic surged in me as I looked at my coach, who was shouting something like, "Hanamiya! That's Kamiko-san's mark! Back off!"_

_'__Hanamiya was supposed to guard Kise! There was no plan to switch!'_

_I searched for my other teammates in the court, then our bench. Coach is the only one there in the bench with four of our usual reserve players. I glanced back at the sadistic teen as he blocked the tanned teen, who was getting infuriated at our Steal-specialist. But that didn't catch my eye, in fact. The position Hanamiya was doing… _

_No._

_Not this again. I knew something like this will happen. The look from the sadist's face earlier in the lockers was the only proof there is._

_A sudden rush of energy surged through, leaving me and my confused thoughts no choice but to sprint towards the tanned teen, just in time to block him with my right arm as Hanamiya's elbow hit my shoulder solid straight to the socket. The impact was too excruciating, a part of me knowing that this attack is definitely intentional. I hissed at the impact that sent me a step back, hanging my head low. Clutching on my shoulder, where a reddish bruise has already been forming rapidly, it sent me into a daze. I barely noticed my teammates running towards me in horror as I stepped back once more, trying to regain my focus. _

**_"_****_You'll pay for this, Makoto!" _**

_A voice that I know so well, Sei's voice thick with fury, lined with death as clear as cut glass, as the soft red crown marched towards our sadistic teammate, who was only shrugging in delight as the raven crown flicked his eyes towards me, as if saying, __'__Heh, Karadai… I knew you would see this coming … Such a clever little girl, but unfortunately, that was really just for you…' As Sei tried to put his hands on Makoto, he was stopped by their purple-head giant and Center, Murasakibara Atsushi or Astu-kun as I call him, who looked bored as he held Sei without any effort needed, who was struggling in anger and tremendous fury of an aura was present around the soft red crown._

_I tsked in pain as I averted my attention from Makoto to the other players on court. It was a total riot, added with the audience in complete disorder._

_'__W-What happened with the girl?! Is she alright?!'_

_'__She got hit by her own teammate to protect the opposing player!'_

_'__Why did she do that?!'_

_The voices from the audiences were in such rise that I had to cover my ears to block them all out. It felt too much._

_"__Momoi! Get the first aid kit fast!" That sounded like the four-eyed greenhead Beast of Teiko, Shinta-kun._

_"__Hai, Midorin!" That was Satsuki._

_ "__He intentionally injured Mikocchi! Isn't that supposed to be all the proof there is to kick him out of the Nationals?!" That was Kise._

_"… __Makoto! You know this from the back of your head that this is more than a foul!" That was Kotaro, who despite being the most out-going of us, shouted angrily at the sad-excuse of a teammate._

_"__Kotaro, we need a cool head! You don't want to get kicked out now, do you?!" That was Eikichi and a glutton like him, he was right._

_"__Shintaro, where the hell are your scissors!? I need to make sure Makoto feels the wrath of hell for hurting Kamiko!" That was Sei, for sure._

_Suddenly, I can't face them anymore. I don't know why, but the feeling was there, present and eating me alive. I was already nearing the exit towards the hallway when I heard someone calling for me._

_"__Miko!" _

_I checked to see who it was, and it was… Aomine Daiki. At the sight of him lit by the dimly lights, running towards me, noticing his face and voice lined with worry and regret, my tears threatened to fall. I shook my head, trying to stop them from falling. I can't risk this. I can't go smushy or softy just because I got injured during the game, on my last year. This isn't supposed to happen! Was this what Sei was trying to signal me? _

_I was looking down, my back against the wall. I never felt so tired in my life. So much has happened, some things that weren't supposed to happen still happened. Clutching on my shoulder as if I was holding on my life, I gritted in pain, causing me to slide against the wall then down the floor and pant heavily. I felt him slowed his pace as he noticed my movements, and walked towards me. Watching him silently as he leaned down to level with me, I saw his eyes—his dark blue eyes cloud with so much regret and guilt and I avoided his gaze all together, making me sigh at his warm nearness, sadly being the first one to break this heavy silence. _

_"__I don't need your pity."_

_"__You're not getting it."_

_My honey-glazed eyes find their attention back at the tanned teen, who only frowned. He was gazing at me once more, his blue eyes scanning my face and I jigged, snapping my eyes tightly closed, as I felt his long slender fingers gently and caringly stroked my face._

_Suddenly aware that my cheeks are wet from the tears that uncontrollably poured down, I sniffed, shaking my head in frustration, pushing his hand away with my free hand rather harshly._

_"__I did what I had to do, Aomine. I took the blow for you and I can still play! This is nothing!" Not allowing to crush my pride, I tried standing up against the wall, but ended up on the floor again as I yelped in pain. He watched me with so much sadness as I tried once more but yet again failed._

_"__D-Damnit! This is so stupid! I n-need to stay strong for my t-team!" _

_I gasped, realizing that I was being hugged. Long tanned arms wrapped around me as gently as possible, feeling his breathing against my neck, a sharp pang on my chest occurred, widening my eyes in surprise. The smell of a mixture of sweat and mint filled my nostrils, but I didn't care. This gesture alone made my head and heart thump hard in hurt._

_"__I c-can still play… I can… can't…" I felt my throat tightened, my tears continuously flowing._

_"__Miko… cry all you want… I'll stay here. Be a stubborn ass but I don't care. I'll take care of you."_

_Aomine voiced out with so much hurt and that was all it took for me to finally cry in his arms._

_"__A-Aomine!" _

**End of Flashback**

_He_ stayed until my eyes dried, with no tears to cry out. _He_ took me to the hospital immediately after to get me rehabilitated and x-rayed. _He_ managed to keep me accompany even though Satsuki and her team, even my team visited me nearly every day, but I did keep reminding myself as to why I stopped coming by the Teiko gym at our third year. So I did request the nurse not to allow any visitors in my room anymore, especially Sei. _He_ must have known about it, so even before the day I made that request, _he _didn't visit anymore, until I was released from the hospital.

I know it was no use digging up the past; it was not also worth remembering, so I have no idea why I am reminiscing the past now. Leaning against the bench, I looked up the blue skies. The color contrasted nicely with the fluffy clouds and I find it weird on why I only noticed it just now. Looks like I have to savor this moment then.

Suddenly, a thought of a tanned teen crossed my mind and on instinct, I felt my cheeks heat red as I tried to brush that thought away embarrassingly. I barely knew the guy so why am I thinking about him?

"Why am I even thinking about that guy anyway?" I groaned in frustration as I start to talk to Akkiko—to myself if there were people even present. I can only imagine Akkiko laughing as I mentally throw daggers at her. Feeling my cheeks burn red as I started to get annoyed, I crossed my arms immaturely.

I know it sucks, but I never really pay attention to guys. Not that I hate them or anything… they are just no part of my agenda, if you could put it like that. So yeah, no first love, no first crush—well, I might have had a small crush on Ryota one time 5th grade and I don't remember how I developed a crush on him in the first place. Yep, that was definitely it.

Scratch that… First love? Well… I might have loved someone. Emphasize on the word 'might.' It's still unclear.

_You know… You've actually loathed basketball by the time the previous National championships came around._

To that, I rested my chin on my knuckles then as I leaned forward in a crouch position, thinking over Akkiko's note. She's right, though. I had come to loath basketball. I knew that. I realized what I also had become by then. I wasn't any different from my former teammates and even _them_ eventually. The reason to why I turned into something like that… I wonder.

_So you've forgotten how you lost yourself?_

"Since there's nothing that you don't know about me, I don't think there would be any use in lying as well," I merely shrugged as I watched the sun slowly rising.

_It's for me to know and for you to find out._

I rolled my eyes and hanged my head low in frustration.

"You're not helping me, Akkiko. How would I even know?" I sighed as I leaned against the back rest, my eyes on the clouds. "I have this nagging feeling that it has something to do with me."

_Maybe or maybe not. Who knows? I would love to spill the beans but you're not going to learn on your own._

Akkiko smiled a little and I shook my head.

"Ya think? I have done a lot of learning on my own in the past. Akkiko, I thought you're to help me," I half-whined, causing the latter to 'snort'.

_It's not written in… the license agreement. _She snickered. _I don't help, if you've forgotten. I destroy. I would help in some cases, but not this. _

"Sometimes, I wish you were real."

I felt Akkiko 'tensed', even if she was in my consciousness.

_You would be scared shitless._

I blinked, as Akkiko warningly said.

"At my own twin? Why would I be scared shitless?"

_Because we're literally identical. That's about it. We're mono-zygotic twins._

"Really? I find it awesome… though I wonder how Tetsu would react once he knows that he actually had two older twin sisters instead of one?"

That made Akkiko silent and I wonder if I said something out of the line.

_"__Is it just me or are you literally looking stupid, talking to yourself?"_

That voice dripping with more arrogance than ever, the feeling of his wide smirk across his more matured and handsome tanned face without any need of looking at him and the whisper of his faint pant.

Well… that's the _same _person I was stressed, or so, thinking about a moment ago while I was 'talking' to Akkiko.

Turning to see a now-taller tanned teen, drenched in sweat, wearing his workout outfit that consisted of basketball shorts and a dark sleeveless shirt, he looked at me with his hand on his hip, his smirk growing wider by the second.

"I'd like to assume that you heard nothing of any sort. I should get going," my heart leaped in my throat as I faked a cough, standing up from the bench, avoiding his piercing gaze.

"I've heard enough. You should stay though. I've only just got here," Aomine lazily stretched as he said that, following an uncomfortable silence.

I admit it's been awkward just standing there, fidgeting. It's been some months that passed since _that _and we never bothered to stay in contact. Not that I hold a grudge on him or whatsoever. It was really fine.

I guess.

"It's been a while since the last time we saw each other, Miko."

It was him who broke the silence and I was thankful that he did. On instinct, I blushed, this time because of how he makes my name sound so… seductive with his raspy tone of voice. Trying to hide my own embarrassment, I cleared my throat, not giving any effort to look at him.

"Uh… yeah… it's been nearly 7 months." On reflex, I touched my right arm that was supported by the full-arm spandex. Giving a sigh, I looked straight at him, whose eyes training on my arm rather intensely.

"How are you coping up with your right arm?"

I made no movement as he fired the question to me. "Well and fast, I suppose. I've been training with my left arm ever since I got my brace off 4 months ago. I might not be as good as I used to, but this will do." I managed to smile a little at the frowning tanned teen.

Some people say that to be an ambidextrous, an individual should somehow be born with it. Others say that it can be developed by practice, young or old. It was said to create new pathways for the brain cells to explore, thus, making more use of the brain than the usual 10% of its capacity. I've been slowly but steadily exercising my right arm at the same time practicing with my left. Since my left arm isn't my dominant part before the accident, I've been having a hard time using it since just holding something small and lightweight sends it to slight shaking. It's normal. Sei told me that even if I did gain what I needed from my left, I should never take my right arm for granted.

**Flashback: Two weeks before the start of their high school year**

_"__What's the use of my right arm when I can play with my left in the future? With almost every training I had with my right, I did with my left. Somehow, it's better than before," I glanced at him, panting lightly from our daily-to-weekly one-on-one sessions, with both parties on the usual tie._

_"__Who knows? There are situations in the court that only your right arm can handle. Don't be apathetic about it," Sei said matter-of-factly and sighed, placing his hand on his hip, gazing at me with his soft heterochromatic eyes. "A nurtured ambi is better than a natural ambi, if I say so myself. I told you that if you still wanted to play basketball then start from square one."_

_As if on cue, his intense gaze landed on my right full-arm spandex. At the moment, I wanted to know what he was thinking as he was looking at my arm, but then I realized from the murderous look in his eyes, he was clearly thinking about __**that**__ person who did this to me._

_"__Seijuro, I know what you're thinking and I don't like it," I shook my head, inwardly sighing, dismissing that awful look with a slight wave of my hand. "Don't even think about __**him**__. It is not worth it." _

_The fact that I called him by his full first name was enough to snap him out of his… excruciating fantasies._

_The redhead moved his attention back to my honey-glazed orbs and there, the look on his face was already gone, replaced with his usual straight face—the kind of face when you will never know what he's really thinking, but then, to me, it's not a good face that even I don't want to see, especially upclose._

_"__Not worth it?" He repeated that last part that I said and began to laugh humorlessly. It rang in the empty gym that we were using in, since we wouldn't want anyone even our teammates know that we've been practicing towards my recovery. "You are making me laugh!" The red crown took a step forward to me, cutting our one-meter distance, as his hetero-chromatic eyes stayed level with my eyes—that gaze alone unknowingly sending chills into my spine. "Believe me, Kami, it's worth every single second," I swore his voice was sounding more and more of an unsatisfied psychopath as he drones more. "I'll make sure he'll—"_

_"—__Never see the light at the end of the tunnel?" _

_That made him stop in his tracks, his eyes widening just a fraction, but in a split second looking as normal as ever, though I caught sight of his surprise as quick. I tilted my head, knowing I hit the mark. I walked closer to him, eventually closing the gap between us. We stood at nearly the same height so I never had to look up to him like I do towards the others because of the wide height gap difference._

_"__Sei, I heard your conversation with your teammates the day of my admission," I began softly, my left hand resting on my right shoulder as my left arm lightly pressing against my chest. "You don't have to… return the favor, if you will. It's only going to feed his sadistic nature more." _

_My chest felt heavy as I continued. "As his former fellow teammate of three years, I know what he was really capable of, more than anything, from the back of my head. I can pay him back myself 30, 60, and a hundred fold."_

_I pursed my lips as I faced towards the sun that was already setting, taking a step forward to let its gentle rays hit my glistening skin. _

_"__I don't want you or them getting involved in something like this. He targeted me alone so I have to settle with him alone. Stupid, don't you think, Sei?" I laughed dryly to myself but immediately my face turned grim._

_"__But then again, you all ended up getting involved because of me. You all felt responsible for me even if you didn't have to. Should I even take that blow in the first place? If I haven't, will things stay the same? Do you even know how it feels to doubt yourself after everything that has happened?" _

_I fired question after question, not expecting any answer from the red crown, which was silently watching and listening to my worthless rants. I gritted my teeth as I curled my hands into fists in anger. I was so frustrated to the point when I couldn't even accept myself. I don't care about anything except basketball and every single one of them knows this clearly. It's been my life, and I don't want to waste it._

_Out of nowhere, his familiar slender arms were wrapped around my waist, hugging me from behind. The warm breath of his mouth brushed against my nape as he drew me closer, with my back against his chest. I tensed at the abrupt contact, but eventually relaxed as he rested his forehead on my right shoulder gently, conscious of my injury. I began to wonder what was wrong, since he rarely executes any physical contact towards anyone, especially to me, despite being the best of friends since 1__st__ grade._

_"__Sei—"_

_"__Shut up. You know that I don't do physical gestures like this but for now and for you alone, I'm crushing my pride. Just this once, so savor it as much as you can," his warm breath tickled my shoulder as his soft yet arrogant tone was muffled behind me, causing me to inwardly roll my eyes at this sweet and unpredictable gesture of his. _

_"__It is an order." Was his tired whisper, even as I felt his hug tighten, as if he didn't want this moment to end, not wanting to let me go. _

_For the first time after 6 months, a warm smile played across my lips. I closed my eyes, placing my hand over his head, gently stroking his soft red hair. I became aware of my tears as they rolled ticklishly on my cheeks, but it didn't stop me from smiling._

_"__Thanks, Sei."_

**End of Flashback**

Sei was awkward at comforting a girl, but I knew he did his best to comfort me in his own little way and it was enough.

I was fully aware the silence surrounding us again—though it's a bearable kind of silence than minutes ago. With no guarantee about who will be the next one to break the silence again, I placed my hand on my hip as I awkwardly scratched my nape with the other, looking anywhere but him. I am not one to make good conversations.

* * *

**Aomine's PoV**

I frowned once more as I noticed her fidgeting again, standing there just less than a meter away from where I was standing. I watched her move, placing her hand on her hip and scratching her nape, looking at anywhere but me.

_'__She clearly doesn't know how to continue conversations,'_ I thought, amused.

Her face, which I mentally took note of, was flushed, her eyebrows slightly knitted together, almost as if she was frowning. Small beads of sweat rolled down her temples, suggesting that she went for a run like I did just now. Her skyblue hair, tied in a knot, was slightly in disarray with some of the hair from her outgrown bangs falling over her honey-glazed eyes. Mesmerized as always, my slightly droopy eyes wandered towards her pink lips and somehow, me and my thoughts screeched to a sudden halt.

Actually, this is the third time I've seen her up close. The second time was when we were marked against each other during the 3rd Nationals.

_'__When was the first time, exactly?'_ I wondered.

**Flashback: 2****nd**** grade**

_An afternoon when the bell rang, signaling the end of classes for the day. I recalled that I was supposed to be walking home with my pinkhaired best friend when she dropped by my classroom, saying that she couldn't come with because she had to go straight home due to family emergency. I never did pay attention so I really didn't mind because I wanted to be by myself for unknown reasons. That day hasn't been all good like I expected. _

_In the first place, heck, I wasn't even looking forward to go to school that day, but it was Satsuki who forced me to go._

_On the way home, I remembered spotting a basketball court by the sidewalk. I saw the adults were leaving after playing and thought that I should play to cool off. As I neared the court, I caught sight of two children about my age wearing a school uniform that was similar to mine, suggesting that they go to the same school that I do. Curiosity got to me as I cautioned near the fence to see who they were. _

_It was a skyblue haired girl and a redhead boy. On a duel. I heard laughter and giggles as the pair played. Leaning to see on their faces from outside the fence where I was standing, I don't remember seeing them around. Or then again, I don't pay attention to everyone in school. I didn't realize that a grin was formed across my lips as I eagerly watched them play basketball. My attention, almost that whole time, was focused solely on the girl as the skyblue crown dodged rather swiftly the redhead's block, leaping backwards as she shoots the ball into the basket with so much fluidity. My eyes widened that as she shoots, her position—she was almost as parallel to the ground, touchdown with a faint tap on the ground as the ball got in the basket._

_For some reason after watching, I thought I wanted to play against her at the moment. I had the feeling to get to know her through one-on-one if it's even possible._

_Heck, from what he has seen with my own eyes, she's by far a worthy opponent to go against!_

_As I was still deciding on what to really do, I felt a light tap on the shoulder, causing me to jump a bit at the sudden contact. Whipping my head around to see who it was, it was the same girl but up close. Frantically I looked back at the court then at the girl then vice versa. I couldn't believe it. The whole time that I thought that they were still there, ah, I inwardly face palmed._

_"__Did you enjoy watching the duel back here?" _

_The skyblue crown asked cheerfully, grinning at me and I was taken aback to her beauty more than her question. _

_'__She's… pretty and her aura is so bright,' I, again, mentally face-palmed, cursing myself. _

_Why am I even noticing that firsthand? I mean, yeah, she's pretty, but what got my attention were her skyblue hair and her eyes. And her eyes… so full of life yet… it is a few pairs of eyes that could never be read._

_I then noticed the redhead coming up next to her, who, I noted, had a really distinguished authoritative aura around him. So intimidating from the girl next to him._

_"__U-Uh, yeah. I thought of playing before going home but I saw that you occupied right after the other people left, so I guess I had to sit it out for a while and watch." I didn't remember being all nervous as I answered her question, even I was scratching my nape awkwardly, trying to avoid her gaze._

_"__Eh?! You should have joined us, Dai-kun! I know it is fun just watching, but, believe me, playing is more fun, especially when you go against other players more experienced than yourself!"_

_"__E-Eh? How did you—"_

_I stared at her in suspicion, causing the girl to cross her arms with a pout._

_"__You don't need to look at me like that! Anyway, how did I know your name? You're in the Section B, yes? Aomine Daiki." The girl stated, smiling as she uncrossed her arms to spin the basketball with ease as the redhead just stood next to her quietly, with two bags on his shoulders. I looked at her rather weirdly as I tried to comprehend what she was saying. _

_"__Well, to be honest, it was __**him **__who knows everything…" she continued to talk as she jabbed a thumb in the redhead's direction. "Or so he says."_

_I followed the direction she was pointing as then rested my gaze at the redhead, who rolled his eyes, looking back at the empty court. I then looked back at the skyblue crown whose eyes never left mine while spinning the ball._

_From the back of my head, I __**knew **__that playing has always been more fun than just watching from the bleachers, watching from afar. I have known that since I was 5; the hype that one gets from playing; the adrenaline in the game. It's never going to compare with merely watching the game for entertainment._

_"__What do you say? Let's take it on one-on-one right now. If I win, promise me a bucket of potato mojos with a sour n' cream dip," The girl tilted her head as she tossed the ball straight to me who caught it in the process. The redhead beside her sends death glares to her, muttering inaudible curses, but she dismissed them with a slight wave of her hand and looked at me once more._

_"__What if I win?" I couldn't help but ask her._

_The girl crossed her arms as she pondered on what it is in it for me. _

_And you know what, as you would think that I didn't look nervous on the outside, then you're wrong. __**I am shaking like a mad man on the inside.**_

_"__If you win…" A pair of honey-glazed eyes gazed at my blue orbs and I sucked in my breath. She looked and sounded so angelic. Her face seemed perfect. I wondered if she was all real._

_She looked too real to me._

_"__Promise me the second time we would meet would be in the stadium court, marked against each other."_

**End of Flashback**

I wondered about that younger girl in my memory. During our duel, she never held back and it was what I wanted. Her honey-glazed eyes were on my own the whole time and I thought I wouldn't be able to concentrate. I saw that she was all the more better than I was and began to think that I was going to lose at the deal but unexpectedly, I won against her.

I would promise that they would meet again someday and until now, I held onto it. Ever since that day, though stupidly, I searched for her, even at school since I remembered that she wore a uniform from my school that time. It came to the point that even at the grade school graduation, I expected to see her present, but in the end, she wasn't.

I never wavered from my promise, despite everything.

_'__She had the most vibrant sky blue hair I've seen in my entire life,' _I thought as I glanced at the taller-yet-shorter girl facing me, as I was unaware that a warm smile played across my lips.

I've found her, seemingly surprised at myself for immediately recognizing her during _that _National championship.

The question is:

_'__Does she remember me at all? Or the deal we made since we were in 2__nd__ grade?'_

As I was staring shamelessly at her, she cleared her throat to get my attention and she did. I blinked in surprise, even as a light blush powdered my cheeks, immediately looking away before I embarrassed myself. My actions somehow made her giggle, with me side-glancing at her wondering what was amusing her.

"You know… you remind me of someone from second grade," The girl looked at me then back at the sun that was rising behind the dome.

Those words made my heart beat irregularly. It was unreal. The feeling was surreal. Was there any chance that she would remember me from _that _day? If she did, how would I even respond to that?

I inwardly face palmed.

_'__Blame it all to fate for not preparing my heart and mind for this.'_

"Yeah? How's that?" I tucked my neckline nervously, trying to keep myself composed.

"We played against each other just once and I was able to tell that he might be able to stand on equal grounds with me sooner or later," Kamiko continued, tucking her hands on her hoodie's side pockets. "I was surprised when I realized that we had the exact same play style, though in different levels, making the duel all the more fun," she smiled a little, to my surprise but I stayed silent as she continued to talk.

"The funny thing I remembered about that time was that I made a really stupid and, I guess, a cheesy deal with him. I clearly could picture Sei's face at that time, looking all sulky and gloomy when I proposed the deal," the skyblue crown chuckled a little.

_So that redhead back then was really the Captain._

I bit my lower lip a little, trying not to blush about that fact that she labeled our deal stupid and cheesy, though I never really thought of it that way even once.

"I told the boy that if I win, he had to buy me a bucket of—" _'Potato mojos with a sour n' cream dip. I know.' _

"If he won, what did you promise him?" I looked at her, patiently waiting for her answer.

"I told him that if he won, I would make him promise that—" Just about then, her phone rang, making her sigh, making me groaned inwardly as she answered it, holding the phone against her ear with her right hand.

"Good morning, Riko … Ah? Alright, will tell him for you… E-Eh? Bakagami-? Okay, see you later…" The girl sighed heavily as she ended the call and tucked her phone inside her pocket, then looked at me, smiling rather sympathetically.

"I guess we have to part from here."

_Don't leave. Don't go._

I managed to smile, ignoring the ache of my chest. I wanted to stay with her. I wanted to talk to her. I have so many questions that I wanted to ask her, but I guess this would have to wait for another time.

"Uh, yeah. I guess so."

_I've kept my promise! Why can't you remember me?_

"It was good seeing you again."

_Do you not… need me anymore? Do you hate me?_

"Yeah. See you around, Miko."

_Why can't you call me by my first name like you did with the others? I like you since that day._

I then quietly watched as she started walking away from me, my chest feeling heavier by the steps she makes away from me.

_Why can't I reach you? Why can't I give up on you? Why do you haunt me constantly?_

Shaking my head in disappointment, I turned away, my back against her figure. I couldn't bring myself to ask these questions out loud. She would think that I'm crazy and would never believe me. Worse, she might not want to see me again.

Just about the moment when I started to walk away but still within earshot, I heard her part with those words that would forever reignite the fire in my soul.

_"__I've been watching you from afar ever since the second grade but I wanted to see how far you can handle until we face each other. I am as ever grateful to you for keeping such a promise, Daiki."_

[Edited: 26th of June, 2015 at 09:47]


	4. Chapter 4

Later that day, the last bell had gone, signaling the end of the school day and as usual, the Seirin basketball team members were all gathered in the changing room, changing out of their school uniforms into their more appropriate basketball attires. Kamiko and Kagami are already outside on the courts, shooting rounds as they both waited for the rest of their teammates to finish.

In the changing room, as they were at the finishing of their wardrobe change, Koganei spotted a magazine lying on the bench, a recent issue of _Monthly Basketball Magazine._

"Eh?" Koganei picked up the magazine even as the other guys finished changing. "Didn't this issue come out when Kamiko-chan was in Hanzo?"

Hyuuga stepped up next to Koganei and flipped through the pages of the magazine. "All the players were featured, the rest of the Uncrowned Kings, even the Generation of Miracles." He noted. "Kamiko…" He frowned as he leafed through the pages and eventually frowned. "E-Eh? There's one empty column beside the Generation of Miracles' captain, but no picture. Just a brief description of…" He trailed the words. " 'The Demon Sixth Man' ."

The rest of the first years gathered around Hyuuga and Koganei as they took a peek at the magazine.

" '… This player's role in his team stays relatively unknown,' " Hyuuga read out loud. " 'But despite that, witnesses stated he's greatly revered by every basketball team in the middle school circuit, especially the Generation of Miracles; said to be one of the most fearsome basketball players in the modern era of the basketball.' "

" 'Relatively unknown?' How is that even possible?" Koganei blinked in confusion as he was still staring at Kamiko's column.

Hyuuga patted Koganei on the shoulder, pushing his eyeglasses up his nose bridge, as he took the magazine away from Koganei and placed it on the top of the locker. "We'll have to find it out for ourselves. Quote en quote, as _that _guy told us that seeing is better than just word of mouth."

As the cat-faced male was about to say something, Fukuda Hiroshi, one of the three other freshmen that had joined the basketball team alongside Kamiko and Kagami burst into the changing room just then." She's back! The coach is back!" he quipped. "We're going to play a practice match."

"I wonder who we are up against?" Hyuuga wondered as he looked at Fukuda.

"No idea at all, senpai," Fukuda mused. "But she was skipping for some reason though."

Hyuuga paled instantly like a ghost of Christmas. "She was _skipping_?" he nearly screeched in horror, his voice going three octaves higher than usual. "Be careful, everyone," He cautioned, looking at each of the faces present in the changing room, and Kamiko looked up at him in curiosity. "If she's skipping, our opponent's going to be real tough."

* * *

"I know, Akashicchi," A cheery blonde said, his cell-phone pressed to one ear even as he paused in front of Seirin High's big school gates. "Eh? Is this it?" He murmured, taking a quick glance at the sign of the school. "Yeah, looks like it," He then turned his attention to the caller on the other end of the line. "Pssh, don't worry too much. I'll check up on Mikocchi for you."

He then ended the call, slipping the cell-phone into his pocket. The blonde had on a gray blazer over his white school polo, with a dark brown tie tied loosely around his collar—a contrast as compared to Seirin High's black vest and trousers for the boys, with a white collared shirt underneath the vest.

"So this Seirin, eh?" He mused, looking at the new clean high school. "_They _are going to be so jealous of me being the first one to see Mikocchi after so long!" He widely grinned, walking into the school as he was caught unaware of the adoring looks and love-struck eyes that many of the Seirin girls were giving him.

* * *

Kamiko gave a small sigh as she listened to her teammates 'aww'ing' over Kagami's new move that he'd performed on Izuki who had attempted to block the brute-looking redhead from scoring earlier. She lightly brushed her bangs away from her eyes, thinking back of the conversation that she had with Kagami that night.

_"Based from your play earlier today, you wouldn't have reached their feet. Like I said, you'll be crushed in an instant at your current level." She told him._

"I know that's what I said, but well…" Kamiko sighed, her eyes half-closed as she took a glance at her companion who looked irritated.

"Okay, everyone! Gather around!" Their lady-coach, Aida Riko, ran into the court just then, a look of excitement on her face as the team assembled themselves around their team's coach. "I've managed to get us a practice match against Kaijo High School tomorrow!" She beamed, unaware of the horrified faces of her team were giving her, all except the sky-blue crown, who was just quietly half-listening.

Hyuuga's face was one of a ghost, exactly like earlier in the changing room, Kamiko noted. "A practice game against **_the_** Kaijo High School?" He almost croaked.

"Yep! They won't disappoint us," Riko ignored his pale face and was looking cheerful as ever. "We'll put plenty of first years on the court."

"Disappoint us?" Koganei slowly and carefully spoke, unsure of Riko's statement being a total sarcasm or not. "They're way better than us."

"Eh? Are they really that good?" A freshie, Kawahara Koichi asked.

"They're a school of National level," Hyuuga spoke, back to his normal self. "They participate in the Inter High every year."

"And this year, Kaijo got their hands on one of the Generation of Miracles, Kise Ryota," Riko announced, sending a wave of shock throughout the team. Kamiko, however, already knowing which is which beforehand, crossed her arms rather casually with her face rather expressionless and eyes closed and Kagami noticed this.

"Riko, he's already here," Kamiko pushed her bangs away from her face as she spoke abruptly, surprising each of her teammates. Without having the need to look at their faces, she opened her eyes, looking at the direction where a long line of blushing and giggling girls which must make up more than half of Seirin High's female student population, every team member then followed her line of sight.

"E-Eh? What's with all these people here?" Riko spluttered her words as she quickly spotted a blonde male who was clearly not a student of their school being surrounded by all the girls, looking rather embarrassed and sheepish.

"Gee, I didn't mean for this to happen," the blonde muttered as he signed autograph after autograph.

_'How the hell did she knew that it was him with her eyes closed the whole time?'_ Kagami thought as he glanced at the skyblue crown again then back at the sheepish-looking blonde who was signing autographs. _'That's something.'_

The Seirin basketball team was silenced immediately as they recognized the blonde stranger; a member of the team that they're about to play against in a practice match in a day's time, and also a former member of the famed Generation of Miracles—Kise Ryota.

Kise looked up in the midst of the signing another autograph and made eye contact with Kamiko. The skyblue crown gave a small smile at him. "Ryota."

The blonde smiled. "Mikocchi! Been a while," he said cheerfully, even as the rest of the Seirin team turned their attention towards Kamiko, whose short-lived smile was already gone, replaced with an expressionless face, causing them all to blink. The skyblue crown is close with this blonde stranger? But this is the Generation of Miracles they were talking about! Rumours stated the Uncrowned Kings and Generation of Miracles detest each other even before they played each other at the Nationals during their third year. How can they be as civilized like this?

Kise looked sheepish even as another autograph book was pushed into his hands. "I'm really sorry about this… Um…" He trailed off, scratching back of his head. "Do you think that you could wait for five more minutes?" He asked, glancing briefly at the gaping team as he went back to signing autographs.

The entire team could only sweat drop in response as they looked back at the long line of girls all waiting for Kise to sign their autograph books. It looks as if it might take _more _than five minutes for him to finish with the fans.

Kamiko, on the other hand, sighed, shaking her head lightly.

Unfortunately, this is a rather common occurrence back at Hanzo Junior High even before Kise Ryota had debuted as a model back in the third year. Much to his annoyance with all the disturbances before and during their training from Kise's countless fan girls, Reo had to get the Student Council to station two student councilors at the entrance of the gym just so that she and Kise can also practice one-on-one for fun whenever he comes by after Teiko's practice. Her former teammates at first were against the thought of it, but when she explained about his situation, they understood, and there began a civilized union with him and her team.

So, this happening, isn't something new to her.

Ten minutes later, when Kise was finally done signing autographs, and the gym was empty of all but the basketball team and Kise himself, the cheery blonde leaps down from the bleachers, landing lightly on his feet, his hands shoved into his pockets.

"Wh-What the hell are you doing here?" Hyuuga spluttered.

He was _not _expecting for a member of the Generation of Miracles to show up just like that here in their school. The four-eyed Seirin captain had only seen the rising star of a group only once but only from a distance—during his freshman year of high school when the high school section and the middle school section Inter High Basketball tournaments were held in neighboring halls. The fact that he's seen the Uncrowned Kings, except the rumored captain of that team, sent him into the deep pits. Hell! He can't help it despite being _a year their senior_!

The blonde ignored the four-eyed Seirin captain, who just twitched at his gesture, grinning as he made his way over to the basketball team. "Well, when I heard our next practice opponent was Seirin, I remembered Mikocchi enrolled here, so I thought that I'd come and say hi," He grinned even more. "Momoicchi and the others are going to be so jealous that I saw you first! I miss you so much!" He gave a sweet lingering kiss on Kamiko's cheek, seemingly unfazed at his touchy motion.

"Ryota, you should stop with your touchy gestures. It's getting old," She mused, giving a light punch on his shoulder, which earned her a light playful grunt from the blonde.

"Stop acting all tough, Mikocchi! You never had complaints before," Kise grinned cheekily at the skyblue crown, who only giggled a bit in response.

Riko paled at the scenario before her, but, only a split second, she wordlessly beamed, sending Hyuuga, Koganei, and Izuki a couple of steps back away from their coach, horrified at her sudden change of aura and expression.

_'Eeeeh~?! They look so cuuuute together! This is the first time I've seen Miko-chan be so girly before a guy!'_ Riko amusingly thought, going all lovey-dovey while the three other senpais just sweat dropped at the sight, causing Kamiko and Kise to look at their direction in confusion.

Meanwhile, behind the regulars of Seirin High's basketball team, the three freshmen were poring over the same magazine that the juniors were poring over earlier in the changing room.

" 'Kise Ryota' ." Furihata Koki read from the magazine aloud. " 'Though he started basketball during his second year of middle school, his exceptional physical ability and sense got him on the Teiko team as a regular in a heartbeat. While he has less experience than the other four, he's rapidly improving all-rounder.' "

"Since your second year?" Hyuuga's jaw dropped in disbelief. '_He's only been playing for TWO YEARS?'_

Kise grinned rather sheepishly. "Eh, the article overstated a bit." He chuckled, grinned. "I'm glad to be called part of the Generation of Miracles, but I'm the worst of the bunch. Like always, I was constantly bullied, but they'd stop whenever Mikocchi was around. They couldn't do anything about it because they all respect her so much, like I respect her," He explained while scratching the back of his head, his face a bit flushed as he smiled at Kamiko who only giggled a little while rolling her eyes at him. "I joined the basketball team because of her despite attending different middle schools."

The entire Seirin team stared at Kamiko, who was still catching up with Kise with a sudden frown, like their conversation turned serious between both of them. _'She knew every single member of the Generation of Miracles?! Just what kind of spell did she put them under? Poor Kise too!' _they wondered.

Kise's eyes shot open in alert just then as a basketball came flying towards his and Kamiko's direction, interrupting their quiet conversation. The blonde quickly blocked the ball with his bare hand, catching it in the process. "Eh? What was that for?" Kise turned with a frown as his golden eyes found their way towards the redhead who had thrown the ball at him. "You had the decency to almost hurt Mikocchi!"

"Sorry for interrupting your little reunion." Kagami grinned viciously, oblivious to the fact that he had already pissed off the Copycat of the Generation of Miracles. "But don't tell me that you came all the way here just to greet us? Why don't you play with me for a bit, pretty boy?"

"Eh?" Kise stared at Kagami as if he has two heads. "I don't know if I'm ready. But I'm just…" He mused, glancing at Kamiko, whose eyes were wide, leaving the rest of her facial aspects neutral, then glanced at Kagami before he shrugged and grinned. "Fine, let's do it. And I have to thank you for _that _display." He threw the basketball that Kagami had thrown at him earlier towards the redhead who caught it easily. The blonde then removed his blazer and tie, also rolling up his polo sleeves.

"Oh boy…" Riko sighed to herself in dismay.

"It is worse," Kamiko stated as she walked up beside Riko, confusing the rest of her team with her statement.

Back on the court, Kise and Kagami were having a one-on-one duel between themselves, a hint of smirk on Kise's lips. Kamiko face palmed, knowing full well what he was going to do. Without warning, the blonde then took off past Kagami, with the redhead struggling to keep up. Kagami's eyes widened in shock when Kise performed a move that the redhead himself performed on Izuki just moments ago.

"He learns plays as soon as he sees them firsthand and makes them his own," Kamiko explained with her arms loosely crossed even as Kise dodged Kagami's blocking, and dunked the ball into the net, sending Kagami to fall butt first to the floor.

Riko, listening to the skyblue crown's explanation, watched the duel. _'You can't call something of that level an imitation! Such perfect copy, as if it was his!'_ The brunette thought, staring at Kise as if seeing him for the first time.

Kawahara, a first year, stared on in awe. "This… is the Generation of Miracles?" he muttered. "Kamiko-san, your friend's way too good."

Kamiko looked at the shorter teen that spoke about Kise and looked back at the redhead and the blonde, staying silent. _'It was I who taught him the basics of his Perfect Copy ability when I was still his instructor. Seemed like he's taken it to the next level quicker than I imagined,' _Kamiko sighed at the thought. _'I can only think the same thing about the others though.'_

Kise broke the tension as he sighed in disappointment, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't know about this," he mused lightly, and Kagami can only stare at the blonde in confusion. "After something so… disappointing, I can't just leave now." He turned his attention towards the remaining players, leaving Kagami twitching in anger.

The once-cheery face on the blonde was replaced with one that was serious as he walked towards the rest of the Seirin team. "Give us Mikocchi." He received a chorus of 'huh?' from Seirin. "Come join us, join me in Kaijo!" He was again cheerful as his yellow eyes searched Kamiko's honey-glazed eyes, which he noted, was an unusually good contrast against her pale skin. "Let's play basketball together again."

Kamiko can only sigh inwardly as he said that. She just knew that someone had put the blonde up to this. This had the rest of their names written all over it.

The response from the rest of Seirin was expected.

"EEEEEHHH?!"

Riko's screech was easily the loudest, nearly deafening Hyuuga who was standing right next to her.

"Mikocchi! I am serious here!" Kise insisted, sounding like a whiner as he ignored the rest of Seirin. "I respect you, we all respect you. Seirin High can't utilize your talents to their full potential! I don't see why you chose to stay here than coming with either one of us, Mikocchi!"

The sky-blue crown stared at the blonde in silence for several moments and the rest of Seirin stared at her with bated breaths. Kamiko sighed. "It's not only _him,_ is it? The rest of _them _put you up to this." She pointed out tiredly.

Everyone stared blankly at their skyblue crown member then to the blonde then vice versa. Who were they talking about?

"Well, _we _are all worried about you, especially after what happened. Mibucchi was worried too and the rest of them except that _sad-excuse of a human being_," Kise admitted. If it's even possible, Seirin got even more confused. "But even if they didn't, I would have asked you the same thing too." He insisted. "I really miss you! What I witnessed just now, I don't think Seirin is a good fit for you! I know there's something more than just your speed! I saw how you _changed_ in those last 5 minutes of the match and I know _he's_ been training you after _that_! Come to Kaijo with me." He pleaded with her, both his hands clasped on her free hand tight. "What do you say?"

Silence.

Finally, Kamiko sighed, gripping on his hand gently but firmly. "I am honored to hear you say that, Ryota," she started. "But I must politely decline your offer." Just then, she took her hand off of the blonde's grip, leaving Kise to blink in confusion.

"That doesn't make any sense at all!" He protested. "Besides, this isn't like you! Winning was everything and the only people who can survive are the strongest and the fittest! Why didn't you go somewhere better? Why stay here?!"

Kamiko said nothing for several moments. _The only people who can survive are the strongest and the fittest. _That has been the mantra of Hanzo. Not just in basketball, but in everything. And truth be told, she's grown tired of hearing it.

"I've changed ever since second year_,_" she said. "More importantly, I made a promise to Kagami; a promise to defeat the Generation of Miracles and the Uncrowned Kings."

"This isn't like you to joke around like that," Kise frowned, not believing what he is actually hearing from Kamiko. The Kamiko he knew would never say something like that.

There was a low chuckle from behind the blonde just then, and the blonde turned around only to see the redhead laughing like an escapee from the mental hospital, apparently having gotten over the shock at seeing Kise use a move that he had just used moments ago.

_'So this is the Generation of Miracles.' _Kagami thought, grinning to himself. _'They really are amazing! And there are four more guys stronger than him.' _He thought, recalling Kise's words that he is the weakest of the group. _'I just can't help but smile.'_

"What are you doing?" Kagami grinned at Kamiko, who only stared at him, expressionless as usual. "I was going to say that, Karadai."

Kise looked between Kagami and Kamiko in confusion.

The skyblue crown rubbed her right arm spandex support, sporting a small frown on her face. "Matters like this aren't meant to be joked around, Ryota." Kamiko turned her attention from Kagami to Kise and gave the blonde a tired look. "Accept it or leave it."

Kise smirked, finally understanding the reasoning behind Kamiko's actions.

"…I see."

* * *

Around six o'clock in the evening, the training was done, leaving each of the members exhausted and their coach seemingly satisfied with their work today. All of them have already changed into their fresh clothes, preparing to go home. Kamiko, on the other hand, had to stay behind to do some training of her own, but she promised the lock the gym firsthand before going home. Seeing how dead set Kamiko is, Riko finally agreed, having a feeling that the skyblue crown would need some space to think after what had happened earlier that day when a former member of the Generation of Miracles and her close friend showed up rather unexpectedly. Kagami, however, wanted to practice with Kamiko, but the sky-blue crown wouldn't let him.

"No, I want to train on my own," The sky-blue crown simply stated, making the redhead twitch an irk.

"I don't remember asking for your permission," the redhead crossed his arms as the ball flew square to his abdomen, barely made any defense at all, leaving him to groan in pain at the sudden rough impact made by Kamiko. "O-Ow! What was that for?! " _'T-That was… fast! And her throw was strong! I t-thought she was weak?!'_

"For being a stubborn brat," she replied, placing her hand on her hip, brushing her bangs away from her eyes lightly with her free hand. "Go, before I make another rough throw at you, but this time, to your face." The girl added in a calm tone, giving him a look.

Kagami can only shiver at the sight of her eyes looking straight at him, forgetting his pain completely. He noticed her gaze felt cold and her calm tone as she said that last statement was rather dark. Not the usual emotionless blunt retorts, comebacks, or responses that he was growing used to. It was like it's her but it's not her. He wouldn't really know since he's only known the girl for about a week or so now.

Ugh, women are such a mystery. He could never really understand them even if he wanted to.

"Fine then," the redhead frowned, picking up his bag, walking towards the door of the gym. "Good night." He gave a small wave without looking back and went on his way.

The sky-blue crown watched him go quietly and sighed tiredly as he was out of sight. "That felt like so much only to convince Kagami to leave me on my own for now," she shook her head lightly as she faces the basket then. "You should stop standing behind the door since he's already gone," she said, just enough to be heard from half the court. "Ryota."

"Heeeeh…?! You know, by the way you spoke just now was kinda creepy," The blonde, as she suspected, pushed away from leaning the wall, showing himself, dusting his blazer and his bag. "And your throw— that was impressive, as always. That's got to hurt, judging from his expression."

The sky-blue crown only gave a light shrug as she faced him sideways. Kise chuckled and grinned at the sight as he scratched his nape, placing his bag and blazer at the stage beside Kamiko's bag. He unbuttons his polo, leaving him in his white undershirt. The sound of the ball being dribbled was heard, catching the blonde's attention as he looked at Kamiko, who was slowly dribbling the ball as if she was inviting him to duel with her.

The sky-blue crown only smiled as she turned away from the basket, bending her knees to 180 degrees for a short leap as a boost, throwing the ball—a one-hand shot— into the basket with so much grace, so much fluidity that Kise could only watch at the play in awe.

The blonde then walked towards her as he caught the aimless ball in time. "Are you asking me what I think you're asking me?"

"Should I say it out loud then?"

Kise stupidly grinned and nodded as he spins the ball on the peak of his forefinger, waiting. Kamiko rolled her eyes in amusement at his stupidity. "You know _exactly _what I was asking for, Ryota. Now pass the ball." Stubbornly, the sky-blue crown pointed at the ball that he was spinning and the blonde pouted-frowned, changing to dribbling defense position.

"You are no fun, like always, Mikocchi!"

"I'm the same as ever, Ryota."

To that, the blonde smirked a little, causing the skyblue crown to smirk in return.

"One shot, blonde."

The blonde gave her a confused look as he continues dribbling the ball while Kamiko made a one-finger sign.

"If I win, popsicle on you before going home tonight."

"Eh?! Not that I'm complaining or have no extra money because I do have extra money…"

As the girl caught him just a bit distracted, that was her opening. She tapped the ball before he knew it and began backing away just a good amount of distance from him, dribbling, causing the boy to whine.

"Y-you distracted me! Unfair!"

Taking note of his cute pout, she grinned. " _'Never ever get distracted in a game!'_ That's one of the rules remember? Haven't you learned anything from me?"

"There are too many rules to remember, Mikocchi," Kise muttered something in his breath as he goes back to his defense position, his yellow eyes trained on her honey-glazed ones. He knew just by looking at her, it was time to get serious. He watched her bend her knees, her dribbling pace slowing down.

_'Knees bent… slower dribbling pace… concentrated face… Ah, yes, the Eye of Deduction.' _He thought as prepares himself.

He has seen her in that state in middle school a couple of times. She's used it against Akashi, and unexpectedly, she won against him. Her unpredictable Eye of Deduction works similarly with their Captain's Emperor's Eye, but as he later concluded, hers somehow is in larger range than his, making her see things one step (two if it's possible) ahead of him.

Sigh.

He has to be unpredictable; consider her as an opponent; considering this one-on-one an actual match. But could he do all that?

The blonde readies himself as her now-blank eyes were intensely concentrated on his own, moving one step on the left as she bent down a bit more, her dribbles still on the slow pace, poising an attack much like a snake poising an attack on its innocent victim.

He's been to some of her street mock matches against adults ever since 5th grade before graduating and making a formal basketball team in middle school and he was in awe, even until today. He only knew that she had something special in her, but he wouldn't expect it to be used in a sport or game like basketball. It was something most basketball players have tried to achieve for years in the history of basketball, but like the Generation of Miracles' former Captain, her style of play was derived from street basketball. It only needed some time to nurture it to it is today. Like the tanned male's style, her play is boundless, formless—no logic. It's not something he can easily copy, Kamiko once told him.

The fact that he could never… ever copy her style of play was because he looks up to her too much.

To her, whether it be a duel, a mock match, or even the actual play, it's always important to give it your all. Everything that you would do would gradually be meaningless if you don't put any effort into it. That was one of the things he learned from her. And it was also one of the namely few reasons that drove him to evolve during his third year, along with the other prodigies.

Evolved for the worst, without him realizing at all.

Less than a split second, the girl moved right to left in a phantom-like shift like a zigzag pattern towards him, the blonde struggling to keep up in blocking her way to the basket as she abruptly halts just a foot away from him, both her hands holding the ball as she leaps backward, positioned to throw. He smirked a little as he blocks her throw, catching it in the process. His feet touching the ground after the leap, he quickly turned his attention to the basket to score. As just about the ball shoots, he felt a faint swift of wind on his right, widening his eyes in surprise as he realized that she was already in front of him, leaping in the air, tapping the ball down causing it to hit the hoop instead, backfiring, but as it backfired towards him and he was about to catch it again, she caught it with her able left arm before he did but shoots it with her right arm, the ball flowing through the basket.

Score 1. Kamiko won. So popsicles on him as promised.

The ball bounced aimlessly wherever as both players touched ground, panting at the short match. Both players on their knees as exhaustion were written all over their body. Kise, panting with only one eye open, glanced at the girl who straightened up to even her breathing with eyes closed. He was taken aback when he saw her used her injured arm to shoot, him thinking that it wasn't going to push through but it did anyway. He clearly wasn't expecting her to use her right arm even though it wasn't much strength to use to shoot at a short distance, like just now, but still. That moment, he noticed her spandex-clad-support arm shaking ever so slightly and he sighed tiredly.

"Mikocchi, you shouldn't have pushed yourself to use your right arm just now," The blonde spoke, still panting but softly now, causing her to take a deep breath then out, sighing as her exhale.

"I know I shouldn't stress it too much, but I wanted to prove my doctor wrong. Stupid doctor," she grumbled, making her look so adorable. "I'm sorry for that," The girl looked at him sheepishly with a smile, causing him to shake his head in amusement.

The blonde straightened his posture, his hand on his hip as he ran his fingers through his hair, now reeking with sweat. He shuddered in disgust as he sniffed himself.

"Ah geez, I stink now and it's entirely your fault for inviting me to duel with you while we both know that you would win every time," Kise pouted cutely as he crossed his arms like a 5-year-old, causing Kamiko to laugh lightly at the sight.

"It's not my fault that you accept challenges like that so easily."

Kise glared at her, but he only ended up laughing, knowing that she was right. Oh how he missed this feeling—this carefree kind of basketball play, especially when he's one-on-one with Kamiko even during the middle school days just for pure fun. He always ends up losing every time, but he didn't mind. He always had the chance to see her play up close, and corny as it is, it has always motivated him to want to be on the same level as she was.

Even until now; even if it was impossible.

"Say, Ryota, that popsicles _you _promised?" The girl teased, earning a light jab on her stomach from him, who was laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, a deal's a deal. Come on. Go change. I'll wait outside."

* * *

It was a short while as Kamiko quickly changed into her uniform, locking the gym as she stepped out. Kise was waiting her just in front of the gym door, sitting on the rail with a sling bag hanging on his shoulder and a spinning basketball in hand.

"I never pegged you to be a Double Dutch popsicle fan," the blonde snorted as he eat his share of popsicle. They only bought a pair since there was only one left at the nearest convenience store before him taking her home.

He remembered doing exactly like this with her in middle school. He would treat her some popsicles every after school even if there wasn't any deal made. Somehow, stuff like this became part of their routine despite attending different schools. It was fun. It's not something that never gets boring even if they're in high school now.

"Eh, it's the only flavor available," the girl sniffed, pouting as she eats her share. "I hope that store closes because they don't have my favourite popsicle flavor." To that, she puffed her cheeks round and Kise can only stifle a laugh at the sight of it. "And besides, the duel would be meaningless if one doesn't stick with the deal either way."

He couldn't hold it in anymore, so he burst in laughter, causing both of them to stop in their tracks. The girl looked at him, confused as to why he was laughing. She wondered if there was something she said that was funny, but as far as she knows, this is just being him laughing about everything.

"S-Sorry! I-I just—Ha ha! That look—ha ha! You are just adorable!" The blonde tries to explain properly, but failed miserably as he keeps laughing, clutching his stomach. "D-Damn! My stomach hurts!"

Her face heated red in embarrassment, pouting more as she jabbed his side rather hard, causing him to change the sound of his laughter to the sound of his yelping in pain.

"I-It's not funny, Ryota."

"B-But it is—"

She shot him a look, causing him to gulp and pouted, mumbling something like, "Fine, fine. You are no fun, Mikocchi."

The girl ignored him as she walked ahead of him. Recovering quickly, he skipped, walking beside her then in no time, with silence enveloping both high schoolers.

_'Well…' _Kise thought to himself as he walked along the familiar stretch of road that Kamiko always took after school to go home. Ever since the first year in middle school, he had always volunteered to walk her home, despite her efforts of stopping him from going home with her.

"You mentioned something about Aominecchi before that redhead of your teammate interrupted our ever-so-intimate conversation," the blonde dramatized, earning a roll of eyes and a light chuckle from the sky-bluenette.

"Ah, yes," Kamiko answered, staying silent after several moments. "We bumped into each other in the run earlier this morning."

_'Is it just me or did I detect a hint of smile?' _The blonde glanced at her then back at the road. "And you didn't expect him to see him again after… _that_?"

To that, the girl only nodded in response, causing him to look at her in confusion. It's not that it was any of his business at all, but still, this is Karadai Kamiko they were talking about. It's been a long time but he doesn't think the girl would hold a grudge against anyone, especially with someone she knows. It's never part of her nature.

She just forgives and forgets. That's how she is.

But unless she has any sort of feelings for the said guy, then it's a different story, he supposed.

Then again, he grew curious. He could've sworn to have detected a faint smile that was playing across her lips and he wondered what really happened during their unexpected encounter.

"Eeeeeh? A nod is all I get for spouting 10 or so words to form a question?" The blonde whined and poked her cheek. "Tell me more!"

The sky-blue crown blushed, twitching at the poke. "T-There's nothing more than that!" She said rather quickly, blinking in surprise as the blonde grinned teasingly.

"Something really happened," he mocked the girl playfully and chuckled, earning a flushed face from the sky-bluenette.

"Nothing worth talking about!" Kamiko blushed more, hanging her head just enough to hide her eyes behind her bangs and that's when Kise decided to push it even more.

He then poked her cheek, grinning. Then poked again when he received no response. Then again. Then…

"U-Ugh! You know I hate poking on the cheek!"

"But you do it all the time to most of us!"

The girl gave a smug smile, tilting her head on the side as she looked at him. "I'm an exception."

Kise scratched his temple with his forefinger, his eyebrow twitching. He felt somehow annoyed but he keeps his cool. "You are not definitely an exception this time. Now tell me."

The sky-bluenette looked ahead of her then back at the blonde then ahead then vice versa. She then sighed lightly as she stretched her arms, hanging her bag behind her back as she wrapped her arms behind her head.

"We just… talked."

The blonde then abruptly stopped on his tracks, his jaw hanging open as his bag fell on the ground. It took a while for the girl to realize that he stopped so she stopped to look at him, confused at his state.

"You just… TALKED?"

"Yeah… we just talked." She repeated as she completely faced the blonde who was still delirious about her response.

"I'm not buying that," Kise pouted, crossing his arms as the girl shrugged at his childishness, already used to it by now.

"We just talked, catching up and stuff. Ah well…" The girl sighed as she stretched her arms out, tucking her hands behind her head. "He's more arrogant than before. He is studying in Touou with Satsuki then?"

Kise looked at the sky-bluenette, who looked rather bored, with a popsicle stick between her teeth. "That's what I heard. He is in fact their basketball team's Ace and Momoicchi is their manager."

She nodded in acknowledgement, but was half-listening. And again, a rather uncomfortable silence hovered the two and the blonde was itching to make another conversation, a topic that would stir her attention away from that tanned male.

"Is… your arm doing any better?" Kise then skips in front of her, walking backwards playfully, earning a giggle from the girl. _'If the Aominecchi subject was not any better, then I should just do things that would definitely make her smile instead. I hate seeing a frown across her lovely face,' _he mused to himself.

Kamiko smiled up to him, noting that he was only 3 or so inches taller than her. "Not that I can use it like how I used to, but I'll manage," she replied. "Like the doctor said, it's never going to be the same, but I always find a way to make this work for me, even for the littlest of things," she added as an afterthought.

By now, they have reached Kamiko's house—a studio-type apartment that Akashi had helped her look for around the second year of middle school.

Kamiko looked at Kise. "Do you want to come in for a while?" she asked, pulling out her keys from her bag side pocket, earning a solemn shaking of head from the blonde.

"I have to go meet Kasamatsu-senpai and the gang for a late practice back in Kaijo," the blonde gave a small sad and apologetic smile and the sky-bluenette looked at him and nodded understandingly and reached out to hug the male.

"Thanks for taking me home, Ryota," Kamiko's voice was muffled as she nuzzled through his shirt and the male took a while before he slid his arms around her waist and rested his chin gently on the top of her head, pulling her closer.

When was the last time they shared a hug like this; when it's just them? He couldn't remember.

Too soon, she pulled back, her arms still retained around his neck and gave a soft smile. "It was actually good to see you again, Ryota." To that, she finally withdrew her arms from his neck, to which he internally groaned at the loss of her warmth. Kamiko stepped in front of her door and bowed. "Tomorrow, we'll be actual opponents. Please don't hold back, ne?"

He was taken aback in surprise at her request, but he tucked his hands on his pockets after adjusting his sling bag back to its comfortable position on his right shoulder and grinned childishly to his first love. "Same goes to you, Mikocchi! Good night!" He waved which she returned and walked out, leaving Kamiko in her thoughts.

As soon as Kamiko entered her humble abode, a constant ringing interrupted her jumbled thoughts and took out her phone and flipped the lid open to check who was calling and she raised a surprised brow at the sight of the name displayed on the screen.

Locking the door with one hand, she clicked the answer button and brought her phone to her ear.

"You don't usually call me up out of the blue unless it's something urgent," she rolled her eyes at whatever the person she was speaking to said and Kamiko moved to drop her bag on side table, took of her shoes and tucked the pair back on the shoe shelf and walked towards the kitchen, halting abruptly by the counter.

"I thought you would still be communicating with _him, _after all, you _were _his _senpai_ back in the middle school days before you stopped your studies to stay in America to take care—I know, that," the sky-bluenette sighed lightly as she pressed the loudspeaker button and placed the phone on the counter to take off her shirt.

_"I haven't been communicating with him since second year, Miko. I thought you'd know."_

A strong velvety semi-baritone resounded through the cell phone speakers and Kamiko softly scoffed after taking off her shirt, leaving her in her black tight sports bra and threw the dirty shirt in the hamper.

"I'm not psychic. Anyway, please pray tell, dear sir, don't keep me in suspense," her perfect posh tone caused the one on the other line to roll his eyes.

_"**Posh doesn't suit you, madam, but good job at mimicking the tone perfectly. Ah such natural**," _the man chuckled as he spoke in English, to which the sky-bluenette shook her head in amusement.

"**You should be more relaxed when you speak in English. I can still sense the heaviness of your native accent**," The sky-bluenette bit back in English, which earned a hearty laugh from the other end.

_"Smart ass." _She heard the man clear his throat, sensing that this is back to their topic. _"I'm going back home for the Inter High and the Winter Cup, Miko, but as your personal trainer. I've heard of your accident through some… not-to-be-named sources and I've decided to teach you a technique of mine; one that I've used back in the middle school days."_

Suddenly gone blank, the glass that she was holding nearly slipped from her fingertips if she wasn't too absorbed at what he just said. Hastily, she pressed the loudspeaker off and took the phone against her ear with a frown.

"_That _technique should never be used! It nearly caused you your career—But—" her face turned neutral and looked forward as she was still listening to the phone.

"Why now?"

When he answered her question, her eyes widened in somewhat realization about something, recalling a memory that happened not too long and hung her head low, debating whether or not to accept his proposal or not.

"Cheeky bastard," she muttered through the phone and sighed. "I'll be looking forward to you training me…"

"…Shuzo-kun."

* * *

**OOOOOOOOOOHHHH!**

**I wonder who 'Shuzo-kun' really is. If you already have the idea who he/she really is, please send me a message! **

**Lovelots, D.J.~**

**[Edited: 14th of March, 2015 at 14:02]**


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm not particularly worried about other basketball teams that Seirin High will be facing during those two events, Miko, but about this school Kirisaki Daichi, where Hanamiya is attending and managing his own team. There's no doubt that Seirin High is going to face him before the Winter Cup. I know what really happened back in your third year, so I wanted to prep you beforehand. If you want to settle the score with the guy, this is how we're going to do it. I'm not going to force you since the decision is in your hands. Give me a call as soon as you've decided; just don't take too long or history is going to repeat itself; sooner than you think._

The day of Kaijo's match with Seirin High dawned bright and clear.

"Kise! Where the hell are you?!"

The Kaijo captain's voice bellowed the entire gym as he was angrily searching for the mentioned blonde when the latter emerged from the lockers, running rather excitedly instead in panic as soon as the blonde heard his senpai's voice.

"Kasamatsu-senpai~! Why are you looking for me—"

"HORSE KICK!"

"O-Ouch! Senpai! Why did you kick me?!" Kise Ryota groaned in pain, gripping on his stomach as he got down on his knees.

Kasamatsu twitched in irritation as he eyed the sheepish-looking blonde and crossed his arms. "I heard that Seirin's at the gates already. Go out and meet them. I'll make sure Coach knows that there will be guests playing on court today."

The entire Seirin team was all on time, all looking refreshed and eager for their match against a National-level team, and also against a member of the legendary basketball team—the Generation of Miracles.

As they walked through Kaijo High in search for the gym, the players marveled at the size of the school. Seirn pales in comparison to Kaijo, as Kaijo is easily nearly three times the size of Seirin. It could easily pass off as a college campus.

"You can really tell that this school is devoted to its students." The Seirin captain spoke again, spotting several athletes running on the oval that was right outside the gym that they've passed by.

Kagami had looked scarier than usual when he had joined up with the rest of the team at Seirin before they had headed to Kaijo High together. For some reason, his eyes are more bloodshot than usual, and he had bags underneath his eyes. The sky-bluenette shook her head to clear the conversation she had with the former Teiko regular and captain last night and glanced at the redhead male as she adjusted her duffel bag on her left shoulder, only to receive a growl from the said boy.

"You look excited."

"_Urasai_," An irritated Kagami Taiga retorted. "I just can't sleep."

"What are you? A kid excited for his first field trip?" Kamiko mused lightly as she turned her attention from the short-tempered redhead as the blonde came running towards them.

"What did you just say—" Kagami was about to counter when a shout caught his attention.

"Everyone!"

The Seirin team looked around only to see an excited Kise dressed in a plain black sleeves shirt shirt that was overlapped with his jersey jacket and blue shorts running towards them. "Kasamatsu-senpai told me I should come and get you since this place is big." The blonde explained cheerfully, as Kamiko's ears perked at the name of the blonde's captain.

Kagami was about to say something to that only to have Kise ignore his presence as he walked over to Kamiko who was just standing beside the redhead. "Mikocchi, ever since you turned down my invitation to join us, I've been crying into my pillow last night!"

Kamiko glanced at the deadpanned looks that the rest of her team was giving her 'crying' best friend and sighed.

Ever since she became his instructor from his first year, even when he finally decided to join the Teiko basketball team in his second year, Kise had been clingier to her and would tend to hug her a lot—annoying Akashi and Midorima, even the rest of the Uncrowned Kings a lot back then.

"What's with him?" Hyuuga deadpanned.

"Just show us the way!" Kagami snapped.

Kise didn't seem to have heard Kagami, as he continued on his tale of misery to Kamiko who is used to the blonde's antics by now. Even though named as members of the Generation of Miracles or Uncrowned Kings, she had always wondered if being weird was a downright side-effect as to being geniuses in their respective fields.

"Not even a girl has turned me down before." Kise continued, damn right oblivious to the amused looks that the rest of the Seirin team was giving to a mildly annoyed-looking Kamiko.

"The hell I care about that," Kamiko massaged her slightly aching head as she recalls their middle school days, and what Kise had been like when he transferred from Hirijikawa Middle School to Teiko Juniour High and had joined the basketball team. "Would you stop that, Ryota? It's like you're making me feel guilty on rejecting you like that like it was some kind of love confession."

Kise then smiled deviously. "Eh? It's the reason why I'm interested to know more about the guy who's making Mikocchi say such things that weren't supposed to be said in the first place." The blonde turned and faced Kagami. "I don't really care much about being called the Generation of Miracles, but I can't ignore such an obvious challenge. I'm not mature enough to let it slide." Kise's smile turned into a dark smirk. "_Gomen_, but I've decided to crush you with everything I have."

Kagami grinned upon hearing that, having fired up even more upon hearing that.

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

"This is it."

It had been a rather long walk from the school's entrance to the gymnasium where the basketball team always practiced, and like what Kise had mentioned earlier, this is just one of the three gymnasiums that Kaijo High had, since they're a nationally renowned school for their sport teams.

The sound of shouts and sneakers squeaking against the shiny floor of the courts could be heard as they approached the gymnasium. Seirin was soon greeted with the sight of Kaijo players practicing on one side of the court with the other side being occupied by some Kaijo players who are obviously Seirin's practice opponents, chatting among themselves.

"We're playing… on half a court?" The Seirin coach questioned. "The other side's being used for practice?" She was scanning the area as a rather portly-looking man in his late forties that is inspecting a clipboard noticed their group just then and approached them. Kamiko raised a brow as she immediately recognized the man from Kise's talks about his new high school.

The man is the said basketball coach, Takeuchi Genta.

"You're here. Welcome," Takeuchi greeted them. "I'm the coach, Takeuchi." Scanning the team, he then raised a confused eyebrow, but spotted no one whom he thinks is the coach. "I was told beforehand that Seirin High is coming today. Which one of you is the coach?"

He glanced over the Seirin players once more.

It is rather common for high school teams these days to have player-coaches, usually players that are at National level, as not every school could afford to hire a professional coach to teach the student-players.

Thus, Takeuchi was very surprised when the short brunette whom he first thought was the team manager introduced herself as the Seirin coach.

This isn't the first time that an opposing school had mistaken her as a manager, but it was really getting old. She tried to keep her cool as she introduced herself again, more properly this time. "I'm the coach, Aida Riko," she proclaimed. "We look forward to playing with you today!" The short brunette gave a polite bow. "I do have a question that needed to be clarified." She glanced over at the half-court that Kaijo's players were practicing their drills on. "What is this?"

"It is exactly what it looks like." Takeuchi stated. "We've only made simple arrangements for today's game."

"What arrangements?" Riko asked, trying to compose herself.

"There won't be enough to learn from this game to make it worth watching for the guys sitting out. We're having the other players practice as usual so we don't waste time." Takeuchi looked over the half-court as he continued on, apparently missing out the pissed looks reflected on the faces of the Seirin players. "Despite the arrangements, you'll be playing our regulars. I do hope you won't let us triple your score."

Takeuchi walked away, missing the much more pissed looks on the faces of the entire team, especially when Riko was about to burst at any moment, barely controlling herself by then.

_'__How dare that bloated coach diss us like that without seeing us play firsthand!?' _Riko though angrily as she curled her hands into fists and if looks really do kill, the bloated balloon of a coach would have been dead by now.

Even Kamiko had a grim expression at this insult to her team, looking much worse than the Seirin coach.

_Shall we show them then, Kami? _The sky-bluenette heard her twin sister and the faintest of smirk was across her lips, unknowingly catching Kagami's attention to her sudden change of mood and aura.

_'__We'll definitely make this match worth watching then and prove that coach wrong.'_

Kamiko silently vowed to make the portly coach eat his own words.

"They think we suck." Kagami growled as he gritted his teeth next to her. Kamiko looked up at the taller male only to see a scarier-than-usual expression written all over Kagami's usually scowling face. "They're treating this like a sideshow to their practice."

Kamiko glanced at the pissed-looking Kagami and smiled a little. From her experience, she knew that Kagami's play get more vital, and it gets all the more better when he's fired up.

And the taller redhead is definitely fired up now; fired up in anger.

"Look who's talking." Hyuuga hissed, practically glowing with anger.

"I haven't been this pissed in a long while now." Izuki stated, twitching.

As Kise was told to lead the Seirin team to the changing rooms, with the blonde extremely put out as he wasn't allowed on the court as 'it won't be a fair game otherwise', Kamiko turned towards her best friend.

"Do warm up, Ryota," The sky-bluenette then turned her attention away from the blonde to the entrance of the changing rooms. "We'll be your opponents soon." She took one last glance at Kise and a faint smile was written across her lips, surprising him in a second but understood nonetheless and left for the changing rooms.

* * *

"With that, let the practice game between Seirin High and Kaijo High begin."

The starting players from both teams were quick to line up at the center, as Kagami lined up beside Kamiko, facing the Kaijo players, who were said to be their regulars.

"Whoa, a girl? A _girl_ is a starting player?"

"That's sick! Girls are weaklings!"

Kamiko was irked at the insults from the audience who were players too. Instead of showing them how annoyed she was, she kept a straight face.

"Oh, never thought I'd play against a female basketball player. Not that I'm complaining… she's well-built and tall for a girl, too." Number 8, Moriyama Yoshitaka, muttered. "What do you think, Kasamatsu?"

Number 4, Kasamatsu Yukio, glanced at Kamiko, noticing a slight shake on her right arm, eventually fisting her hand to control the slight trembles before turning back at her expressionless face then to his teammate. Just a second, he blinked. "Yeah."

_'__She looks… familiar...'_

He shifted uncomfortably as he saw the sky-bluenette glancing at his direction and he realized she unnoticeably winked at him, causing him to blush a little and turned away, earning a faint smirk from the said girl.

Kamiko inwardly rolled her eyes as they were all waiting to go buckle up in their positions. Back on the sidelines, Riko was wincing as she sat on Seirin's bench, analyzing the stats of the Kaijo players.

_'__This doesn't look too good,' _Riko thought to herself as she glanced from one player to another. _'I can't see everything through their clothes, but their numbers are way higher than the average. Despite having Kamiko and Kagami in our advantage, our physical numbers are still way behind. Not surprising for a nationally strong team,' _She glanced at the two freshmen starters on the court. Kagami is grinning like some kid entering a candy store, causing the opposing team to wonder if he's a little touched in the head. Meanwhile, Kamiko was keeping well behind the redhead, her face void of emotions as she scanned the opposing players subtly.

The whistle was finally blown and the ball was thrown into the air. Kagami reached for the ball, but Kasamatsu got to it first.

"One. Let's keep it up." He told his teammates whilst dribbling the ball, not keeping a particularly sharp eye on his surroundings.

_"__You underestimate Seirin too soon."_

Before Kasamatsu even realizes what is going on, the ball was smacked out of his hand by Kamiko who had appeared from behind him, catching them in utter surprise and had promptly made off with it.

"Where the hell did she come from?" Kasamatsu demanded, chasing Kamiko down with his teammate by his side.

Kamiko glanced over her shoulder only to see the two Kaijo players gaining on her before she slowed down her pace, side-facing her opponents as she began to perform a pass that seemingly reached the Kaijo captain for him to steal, but was stopped on his tracks as he realized the ball was never within his reach, but was still in Kamiko's hands, the sky-bluenette already in front of him as to turn her heel to right, she noticing that the shocked Kasamatsu followed her pattern and frowned as she tapped the ball on the left instead between her two opponents, passing to Kagami who had been waiting for the ball. _'Fake?!'_

Kagami grinned as he leapt into the air and dunked the ball into the basket before landing back on the ground, only to realize that he's holding the rim of the goal. "Eh?"

Numerous gasps were heard, except from Kamiko, who must have seen it coming just stood there quietly, with her hand on her hip.

The onlookers as well as Takeuchi were stunned beyond belief, that some no-name school actually has a player like _that_. Meanwhile, over the Seirin's bench, Riko was grinning like a kid going on his first field trip.

_'__Take that, people! That's what you get for underestimating my team!'_

"That thing's dangerous. One of the bolts is rusted." Izuki commented, glancing at the destroyed goal.

Kasamatsu who was staring at their destroyed goal with wide eyes was taken aback. "Even so that's not normal!" He pressed his lips together, staring at the destroyed goal. _'Is he really a freshman? And that girl who made a ridiculously elegant fake pass just now… Where the hell did I meet her? When?'_

"Oh," Kagami blinked as he held the hoop in front of his face, testing out the size of the hoop that is easily larger than his own head. "This is bigger than I thought."

Meanwhile over the sidelines, Riko was apologizing fervently to Takeuchi, who was twitching.

"I'm sorry that we destroyed your goal," Kamiko moved forward as she was dragging Kagami along by the neck and pushed his head in a bow and she bowed as well. "Since we can't play like this, could we use the full court then?" The sky-bluenette pointed out, much to everyone's relief.

* * *

Just about time, Kise was laughing his ass off even as he watched the other players in the blue-and-white team clean up the court to continue the practice game with Takeuchi finally using the full court for the match instead of a half court.

"Now that's what I call beating." Kise finally sobered up as he glanced at the twitching portly coach. "I've never seen the coach like that before."

Kagami growled at the blonde. "You should tell him that that's what he gets for underestimating us!"

Kamiko looked between the blonde and the redhead before sighing and turning her attention to the redhead. "Kagami, you know that the money to pay for the replacement hoop is coming from your wallet, right?" the sky-bluenette asked.

Kagami stared at her with wide eyes, obviously having never thought of that." E-Eh? Why mine?"

To that, she gestured at the hoop that he was still holding onto and Kagami followed to see his hand gripping on the ring and dropped it, scurrying away from the ring as if it was dangerous. Kamiko's lips quirked upward slightly and turned her back against the redhead and adjusts her arm spandex.

The redhead looked as if someone had just lost his puppy, whilst Takeuchi looked as if he was about to burst a blood vessel as he roared for Kise.

"With that, let the game resume!" The referee shouted as the courts was ready for the continuation of the game. The players on both teams have also settled back on the court, all in their positions. The reserve players of Kaijo were all in the stands, all looking excited.

Kagami grinned as he saw Kise entering the courts. Kise smirked at the redhead. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Whatever, pretty boy. You're finally in."

"You know, you're way too intense for a model when you're on," Hyuuga glanced at the blonde briefly as he adjusted his eyeglasses.

"He's not just putting on a show," Kamiko pointed out quietly, noticing Riko's worried look as she studied Kise thoroughly.

What was she expecting of a National class player who was once a member of the legendary team that had helped to bring Teiko's Generation of Miracles an unlikely victory against Hanzo's Uncrowned Kings?

Several screams caught the attention of the entire court just then, and Kamiko doesn't have to turn to see what the reason really is. It had happened more than once back in Teiko and Hanzo, especially when the blonde is merely practicing.

_Fan girls._

To be specific, Kise's fan girls.

"Huh? What's all that?" Hyuuga was taken aback at all the cheers. Those weren't there earlier when they were playing half-court.

Kasamatsu, who was near Hyuuga, sighed and scratched the back of his head with an exasperated look on his face. "Ah, that?" He glanced at the girls. "This happens every time he plays." He explained. "And…" Several ticks appeared on Kasamatsu's head as he hit Kise in the head and fell head-first onto the ground. "How long are you going to keep waving at them? I'll hit you harder than that!"

Kise groaned in pain as he picked himself off the ground, still clutching on his aching head. "That was already harder than your usual smacks, Kasamatsu-_senpai_!" He whined.

Kasamatsu twitched. "Do you understand what the situation is, Kise?" He demanded. "Who the hell is Number 10?"

"Number… 10?" The blonde was confused at the moment as he glanced over at the said Seirin basketball player, only to have the said player staring back at them. "Oh, that's Kagami."

"Kagami?" The Kaijo captain wasn't particularly listening as his attention was solely on Kamiko surprisingly, who was just standing at the court with her hand on her hip as she looked like she was adjusting her arm spandex. "Never heard of him."

"Forget about him!" Kise looked excited. "The person who stole the ball and made that awesome fake pass, Number 11. That's my best friend from Hanzo, Mikocchi." Kise grinned. "She's amazing, right? Right?"

_'__Hanzo? As in __**the**__ Hanzo Junior High? If that's correct, she must be part of that legendary team—the Uncrowned Kings! But she was never featured in any magazine; not once.' _ He was still a little deep in thought as he looked over to the sky-bluenette. _'She's…'_ he twitched at Kise's grin and hits him square in the stomach. "Why are you so happy?" Kasamatsu demanded and to that, Kagami winced. "In any case, they gave us quite a greeting. It'll be rude if we didn't return the favor."

Kise grinned.

* * *

In Rakuzan High School that also functions as a boarding school, a certain fuchsia-headed male was as usual playing shogi by himself on the rooftop of the school. Shogi is his sport outside basketball, as much as a certain sky-bluenette insisted that it's his favorite past-time.

His cell-phone rang just then and the redhead took it out of his pocket only to see the name _'Shintaro'_ flashing on the LCD screen, and he quirked a brow, as it was about time the former vice-captain of his team would call him.

Answering the phone, he puts the phone against his ear and leaned against the wall, his hetero-chromatic eyes staring immensely on his board game.

_"__Kise told me to call you as soon as I'm out of class. Do you need something, Akashi?"_

To that, Akashi moved a shogi piece two spaces against another and rested his forearm on his knee. "I've heard that Kaijo High is having a practice match against Kami's school, the Seirin High and I want you to check up on her."

There was a dead air on the line but with Akashi's sharp hearing senses, he can hear a muffled shuffling through the phone and heard a heavy sigh from the green head.

_"__That obscure school that Hime-sama is attending at? I thought she's already decided to attend at Rakuzan with you?"_

The fuchsia-headed male sighed; a sound barely audible even through the phone. A soft breeze swept through the rooftop and Akashi frowned as he recalled the conversation he had with Kamiko once when they were still deciding which schools to attend right after they graduate middle school.

_"__Well, we are talking about you, Sei, and I know you more than anyone else. So cut through the chase and tell me the reason why you are calling at… what, 6am in the morning?"_

_"__Fine, then I will cut through the chase. You told me that you chose to attend Rakuzan with me but decided at the last minute that you're attending a no-name school like Seirin."_

_"__Aren't we through this topic already, Sei? Why are you so insistent?"_

_"__Why are you so stubborn?"_

_"__Out of all the high schools here in Japan, Seirin High School is fresh and probably hasn't heard of anyone as fearsome as the Demon Sixth Man anyway. It's a good start for me. I can finally be treated as someone just like everybody else; a normal human being; like before."_

_"__The fact that they don't even know about your condition? Well, it's going to turn over sooner or later whether or not you tell them."_

_"__Let's strike a deal, shall we?"_

_"__Are you serious? A deal at 6am in the morning-?"_

_"__Stop bringing up the time, Kamiko. And yes, I am serious. When was the last time I wasn't serious?"_

_"__What is this deal we are talking about?"_

_"__If I see to it that this… Seirin High does not meet your expectations, then I shall pull you out and enroll you at Rakuzan."_

_"__S-Sei! Isn't that going overboard!?"_

_"__You do not defy me!" _

_"__You are not listening, Seijuro! You do not get to control my life. I'm content at Seirin because they resembled both teams that we had when we both started out in middle school!" _

_"__We played because we loved the game! We played because the game meant everything to us! But then, what happened? Did you even know why I stopped dropping by in Teiko in our third year?! Well then, I shall tell you! I stopped dropping by because I felt ashamed when I see you guys hating the game more and more. It came to such a point that I hated basketball too and so much that I wanted to drop playing in the Nationals. I didn't want to see you hate the sport! I wanted to hate you, stay hating you because there's no use playing the sport anymore but I… I just can't!"_

"Well, she finds Seirin High better than any of the schools that we are separately attending at."

_"__Did she tell you the reason why?"_

To that, Akashi leaned his head against the wall, facing the fluffy clouds. She never really gave him a straight answer in their last conversation but from the last conversation they had—that heated argument about the sport—he has this nagging feeling that he plays a big role as to why she decided against attending Rakuzan with him at the last minute.

"Just check up on her and report to me as soon as possible, Shintaro."

_"__On my way, Akashi."_

A click from the other line was heard, signaling the end of the phone conversation and Akashi straightened his sitting posture as he played shogi once more.

* * *

The players of both teams were panting like crazy, and currently trying to cool themselves down with the two minute time out asked by Riko and for once, Kamiko, who barely gets tired in a game, was panting lightly.

With how tired they all are, one wouldn't even guess that they have only been playing for 5 minutes. It had been one of the intense 5 minutes that the team has gone through, with the pace in which both teams switch on offense and defense alternatively. If Kamiko hadn't been back at the courts when the game resumed as well as operating her speed ability and her fake passes to full, Seirin wouldn't have lasted as long as they did.

The current score for the first quarter is now at 25:22, with Kaijo in the lead.

"Seriously, this isn't easy," Moriyama Yoshitaka commented, glancing at Kasamatsu.

"Yeah, that freshmen duo is brutal," Kasamatsu nodded as he agreed. "You should have been able to handle Kagami." He added, glancing at Kise who was sitting beside him. "But what's with that girl… should I even say that she's invisible? She's got a relatively strong presence, but the fact she disappears and appears out of nowhere is not normal." _'… I can't place the face. My clouded memory be damned!'_

Kise grinned goofily like a love-sick idiot at the mere mention of his best friend and former instructor. "I know, right?" The blonde was still grinning as he continued. "Mikocchi's actually—"

"Why the hell are you so happy?" Kasamatsu yelled, pissed at his happy attitude as he punched Kise in the stomach.

"It's okay," Kise stated, grunted as he removed Kasamatsu's fist from his stomach. "The balance will sway soon enough."

Over at Seirin's bench, the short brunette was trying to come up with an effective enough plan with the two remaining two minutes that they have in order to counter Kise, as Kagami alone wasn't enough to stop the blonde. "Anyway, we have to deal with Kise-kun first," Riko stated as she looked at her players.

"I can't believe that Kagami can't handle the guy by himself." Hyuuga shook his head lightly as he commented. "Should we put another guy on him?"

"Huh? Hey, wait a damn…" Kagami caught himself in mid-sentence. "Please."

"Please?" Riko glanced at Kagami in confusion.

Before Kagami can say anything, Kamiko interrupted. "I'll mark myself against Ryota and Kagami will still continue what he does," she said as she stared at the ground, not needing to look at the faces of her tired teammates whose tired expression were replaced with surprise and confusion. The sky-bluenette doesn't want to tell her new team anything about her best friend and former student, but she couldn't see any option left to choose from.

"With that, there is also a way," Kamiko said, and all pairs of eyes were now on her. Everyone, Kagami and Riko especially, have their full attention on her.

"Eh?"

* * *

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kasamatsu asked Kise in confusion. "That the balance will sway soon enough?"

"Because they have a weakness."

* * *

"A weakness?" Riko repeated slowly, trying to understand what Kamiko was trying to say.

"What? You should've told us sooner," Hyuuga glanced at Kamiko who lightly shook her head.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if you could call it a weakness, but it's more of an opening than a weakness," Kamiko added. "In Kise's Perfect Copy."

"W-What?"

* * *

"Directing the opponents' attention away from her gives her the advantage to pass the ball wherever she pleases without being focused on," Kise explained. "Misdirection is one of her essential (though not as important) abilities due to her strong-yet-lacking kind of presence."

"Wait, what?" Kasamatsu was confused.

"Miko_cchi_ has a relatively strong presence, like you said and that's correct, but the fact that she could disappear and appear out of the blue isn't magic or anything special." Kise continued to explain as he quickly glanced at the sky-bluenette, who surprisingly has a frown plastered all over her face, then looked back at his captain. "She's swift on foot, that's how she was able to move quicker than the speed of sound and light and one wouldn't have guessed that she would disappear somehow." Realization shone on Kasamatsu's face as he realized what Kise had meant. "She has a rather sharp eye in harmony with her quick foot continuously; creating the illusion she had disappeared as she passes the ball round about."

Kise then grinned, catching sight of his captain's attention focusing solely then on the sky-bluenette.

"The more she uses it, the more it is to our utmost advantage, and its effect gradually decreases."

* * *

_"__Why didn't you tell us anything so important sooner?"_

The coach looked almost ready to spit fire at the girl for not even mentioning this bit, though honestly, because as she researched, the lady coach has no single clue about how Kamiko really was capable of; what the infamous Demon Sixth Man really is capable of.

"I didn't think it was necessary."

Riko had an irk on her forehead. "Spell NECESSARY!" she screamed. _'I was careless for not thinking this ridiculous strategy through without any risk.'_

A whistle was blown just then.

"Time out is over!"

"It ended while I was screaming at Miko-chan!"

The players were all returning to the courts, whilst Kagami approached Riko. "I think it's best that Karadai stays on him while I continue to do what I did the past 4 minutes of the game, please." He added the last part as an afterthought.

Riko deadpanned. "Why are you acting so polite?" She asked as Kagami rushed out to the court. "Hey wait! Switch from man-to-man zone defense! Keep solid defense on the inside, and move to stop Kise-kun quickly if Miko-chan would fail to do so!"

"Got it!"

"Also," She looked at Kamiko, who was apparently the last one to enter the court then. "Miko-chan, whatever your plan is, I trust you to execute it." Riko told the taller girl. "Can you do that?"

Kamiko nodded. "I'll do my best," the sky-bluenette answered as she hurried back onto the court, rubbing her right arm unconsciously. With her current condition, she couldn't think of it possible to use her once-dominant arm, even if she's done what she could to make use of it again and has already proved to herself that it's ready.

Kamiko glanced down at the arm spandex covering her whole right arm.

_Don't you dare forget that you have me, Kamiko._

She heard Akkiko speak in a whisper, making her smile a little and nodded as she finally focused her head into the game.

It's now or never.

* * *

"What'd you say?" Kagami narrowed his eyes at Kise.

The first half had just come to an end, with Kaijo still having the upper hand. Kagami was more tired than any of his teammates, though Kamiko had been the one head-to-head with Kise, successfully blocking most of the blonde's shots, much to Kaijo's dismay and Seirin's relief, and it was then that he realized that Kamiko was not exaggerating in the least about the strength of the Generation of Miracles.

If Kise was the weakest of the bunch, how much stronger would the others be?

"The gap between out scores might get bigger, but it certainly won't get smaller. More than formations or strategies, basketball is about your build; a sport in size. The difference between your team and ours is just too great. You were the only one who stood a chance against us, but I see now how good you are. I'll admit that you have potential," The blonde's eyes flickered at the expressionless Kamiko, who just stood there with a hand on her hip, looking straight at him with blank eyes. "But you're still far below me. No matter what you throw at me, with just one look, I'll return it twice as good. You can struggle, but you'll never beat me. The real world isn't that easy."

**Flashback: Just before the first half resumed for the last two minutes**

_"__As I mentioned the other day, about Ryota's ability as the copycat," Kamiko pressed her lips as she paused, causing everyone to listen intently. "I was the one who showed him the basics of his Perfect Copy ability."_

_Riko looked at the sky-bluenette, whose honey-glazed gaze felt cold at the moment as she looked at each pair of eyes, landing at the coach's brunette eyes at last. "If you're the one who taught him his current ability, should there be a weakness in his Perfect Copy ability?"_

_Kamiko nodded. "To that, I am certain that there is." She continued. "Remember when I said that he learns plays as soon as he sees them firsthand and makes them his own, right? Once he makes them firstly, he couldn't do it the second time around." She glanced at the blonde at the other bench then back at her teammates. "Though, that was during middle school. I wouldn't know for sure how much to the extent he's taken his ability since graduation." _

_The sky-bluenette looked at Riko. "My theory isn't ready for conclusion, but it's something that you might need to know. As far as I observed, if he's improved his ability quickly since graduation, he might be able to copy a play that's exceeds his capacity; for example, the Generation of Miracles' individual play, even the Uncrowned Kings, and might be able to reuse it in the later."_

**End of Flashback**

Just then, Kagami burst into laughter, laughing like a maniac. Everyone, except Kamiko, can only wonder if he had lost his sanity.

"_Gomen, gomen_. I'm just so happy." The redhead managed to sober up after laughing. "It's been a long time since anyone had said that to me. I heard it all the time over there—in America."

"Eh? You lived in America?" Kise's eyes lit up. "I grew up there!"

"I thought that I'd jumped the gun by coming back here to play. Hearing you say that is really encouraging." Kagami then grinned. "Life is all about challenges. There's no point in playing if there's no one strong to play. It's better if I can't win."

_"__Life is all about challenges. No one is perfect. Failing is the first step towards success!"_

Kamiko blinked as she recalled that memory that she thought she's forgotten. Then smiled to herself.

_Yeah, I know what you're thinking, Kami. _He _is so much like Taiga._

The sky-bluenette nodded in agreement with Akkiko's statement as she looked over at Ryota and Kagami who were still talking.

"Don't you think it's a little too soon to be saying that you've won? We've only just played for the first half," Kagami pointed out as he walked past Kise and towards where Kamiko and Izuki were standing. "Besides, thanks to you, I now know your weakness. And I guess I can understand why Karadai didn't say it." He stretched out a long arm and grabbed hold of Kamiko, almost losing her balance as he pulled her over. "With one look? What if you don't see it? Against someone who is visible yet invisible at the same time, it's impossible." Everyone on the court was now listening as they all hold their breaths, particularly Seirin and Riko. "No matter how athletic you are, you'll never achieve an invisible basketball style. It's her, right? She's your weakness!" He grabbed hold of Kamiko by the top of her head, presenting her as if she is something to be shown off.

On the other hand, as he still grinning like an idiot, the sky-bluenette's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as her shoulders were shaking lightly. She was doing her very best to compose herself as she was being dragged upon and messing her hair at the same time.

"Kagami, hands off," Kamiko glanced at Kagami, her aura mildly radiating irritation as Izuki and the others began to back away with the other Kaijo players blinked in confusion, particularly Kasamatsu and Kise, but the sky-bluenette's attention perked from the mild commotion currently in the court to the sight of the orange-blonde man almost immediately from the top of the bleachers and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at the awfully familiar pair of amethyst orbs staring back at her honey-glazed stones.

_Hello there! Eh? You're playing sand castle alone?_

_Oh! My mom is talking to your mom! Cool! If they're friends, maybe we should be friends too?_

_My name? Is it okay if I say it's for me to know and for you to find out? Teehee!_

_I want to call you Hime-chan! You look like a princess to me._

_E-Eh? Sutoka-kun? Ehe, are you this straightforward?_

_'… __a memory?'_

* * *

Just shy from the exit at the bleachers above, there a handsome orange-blonde man stood by against the pillar, his arms loosely crossed across his chest, his amethyst orbs looking down at the court where the game just paused briefly at the exchange that redhead with the ridiculous eyebrows and the blonde whom the unknown male remembered as his soon-to-be brother-in-law. (the fact that he's arranged to be married to the blonde's eldest sister, Hanako, for the purpose of business.)

He raised a brow at how the redhead's grin was one of satisfaction at whatever crazy conclusion he declared that confused both the Kaijo Ace and the Captain.

The unknown male's eyes moved from the opposing players towards the sky-bluenette who looked rather annoyed at how the redhead was dragging her around and let out a low barely audible whistle, feeling a little amused at the sight. Well, she doesn't look like annoyed, yes, but the fact that the nearby players took a step or two back from the duo through the exchange.

Though, the male, however, kept a straight face at how her honey-glazed orbs (finally) gazed upon his own—those eyes that he couldn't possibly forget from the first (and the only) time they've met in the park when she was playing sand castle alone and recent times when he finally found out that she was playing for another middle school and watched at nearly every basketball game Hanzo had.

From what he remembered, she was only four and he was six but he was—no, _is still _– in awe of how grown up she conversed. It felt like she grew up _too _early for her age.

_Friends? I don't make friends. When you make one today, you lose one tomorrow. Is it still worth it?_

_Oh is telling you that same thing be applicable to you? Just to be fair._

_… __T-Thanks._

_Can I call you sutoka-kun then?_

The last part had him smile softly. He remembered vividly how sheepish and adorable she looked even as she blushed red when he once told her that she looked like a princess to him—thus, _Hime-chan _came about.

_'__I doubt she'd remember but…' _still holding her gaze, he breathed in deep and exhaled before giving a small grin and a wave and mouthed towards her, "Hime-chan."

And there he knew… with that _small_ spark in her honey-glazed eyes when they widened a slight fraction before withdrawing back to their original size and that faint tint of red powered on her cheeks—the sky-bluenette mouthed back before turning her back to resume the next quarter—to which the male blinked and chuckled lightly.

" 'Stalker-_kun_, huh? Straightforward as always."

[Edited: 13th of June, 2015 at 15:17]


	6. Chapter 6

The second quarter is soon well underway with the practice match between Seirin High School and Kaijo High School.

The score currently stand at 34-39, with Kaijo being in the lead and Kaijo is still sticking to man-to-man defense, thus making it difficult for the Seirin players to go on the offense.

Izuki, who had received the ball from Hyuuga, was immediately guarded by a Kaijo player, and quickly passed the ball over to Kamiko who was standing nearby, but was also currently guarding by Kise himself.

"Oh, Mikocchi, I never dreamed that we'd play like this," he said, grinning.

Kamiko neither smiled nor frowned, as she dribbled the ball. "Neither did I, Ryota." To that, she bent her knees low, her eyes focused on his, as she dribbled the ball in accordance to a certain carrot head's play, catching Kise completely off-guard at the unusual yet familiar rhythm of the dribbling. Kamiko, then finding a small opening at his stance, proceeded with a fair distant one step back, positioned to jump and shoot the ball for a good 3 points when Kise managed then to keep up with her, noticing that as he tried to stop the ball on air, he realized that it wasn't really there but still on Kamiko's hands as she passed it to Kagami who was just behind the blonde was quick to take advantage of Kise's shock to perform a two pointer shot which immediately went in, making the score 36-39, with Kaijo still on the lead.

"Nice shot!" Fukuda Hiroshi cheered from Seirin's bench.

Back on the court, Kise was panting, since it's taking him a lot to just deal with Kamiko's sudden change of play, now that Kagami was in the picture, coordinating with her play rather flawlessly with their other teammates, and the play of the entire Kaijo team is slowly getting messed up because of the confusion with Seirin's sudden change of play.

_'__What the hell, Mikocchi? I know you're capable to make the shot yourself!'_

Kamiko was still standing in front of Kise as she looked at him carefully. "I know that you were expecting me to shoot just now." She glanced at Kagami, who was panting heavily, then glanced back at the confused blonde. "It's not my time yet, Ryota, and you know that."

To that, Kise glared. "You really have changed, Mikocchi." He said, "You weren't playing this kind of basketball in middle school, but you still can't stop me. I will be the winner."

"Please… do settle that with basketball, Ryota," Kamiko said, making the blonde frown at her words.

_"__Words alone without actions are empty words," Kamiko once told him at their practice as she was teaching him. "If you want your words meaty, settle it with actions." She shrugged lightly as she faced the blonde once again. "Actions speak louder than words, remember that."_

Kise moved to receive the ball that his teammate had passed to him and Kagami grinned. "Not so fast," he said, and Kise stopped in his tracks as Kamiko moved instantly to guard him.

The blonde grinned as Kamiko has positioned herself as defense. "I should thank you for being my former instructor, Mikocchi. It's been fun."

Kamiko didn't move from her spot as she looked at the blonde with a faint smirk playing on her lips. "You still have so much to learn, Ryota. You're making it sound like it's your last goodbye. Gross." To which, Kise chuckled lightly.

_"__If you're in a tight situation just like what happened just now," Kamiko pointed out what happened in their practice, when the blonde was holding on the ball too long as he was guarded by two Teiko practice opponent players. "Sometimes, the best offense is the best defense."_

"I don't know what you're up to, but you can't stop me, Mikocchi!" Kise told Kamiko as he made it past her easily. Kagami then immediately moved to block Kise as the blonde made it past the sky-bluenette.

"Wrong, we're not going to stop you." Kagami grinned.

"We're taking it!"

Kamiko took advantage of his distraction, and stole the ball from behind him, immediately passing it to Izuki, who took off down the court with the ball.

"It doesn't matter how amazing your play is against us," Kagami stated. "Since our objective here is letting you through!"

Izuki scored the ball into the basket, and the Seirin side cheered.

Riko grinned._ 'Not even Kise-kun can react in time to someone who is like a phantom coming up from behind him.'_

Kise looked annoyed. "What if I don't run by you?" He challenged, dribbling the ball next. "No one said that I couldn't shoot a three pointer!" He took position to shoot a three pointer, but Kamiko reached him before the ball could leave his hands, with the redhead jumping up in the air and knocked the ball from his hands as it landed on Kamiko's hands and she passed through the surprised Kise, dashing through the two Kaijo players, catching them both, who were standing in guard of their basket, in surprise then Kamiko leaps backwards just on the three-point perimeter, much to Kise's horror, as the ball flew into the air, shooting the basket immediately.

One of the main reasons why the Uncrowned Kings was as feared as they were during the three years of middle school, even as the Generation of Miracles came into the picture is also partly because of Kamiko who is the culprit behind the title _Akuma reijingu_. Her passive ability to be in-sync with her teammates catches every single basketball team in the middle school circuit off guard. Their plays switch consecutively and frequently during each game, causing the opposing teams to also frequently think of different tactics in the process and confusing themselves more.

And confusing the opposing teams' tactics and plays in a game was one of the specialties that the Uncrowned Kings can possibly be proud of, since it was one of the techniques that used to lead the team to two consecutive victories in the National Championships.

As a Kaijo player comes to rebound the ball, Kamiko overtakes him easily, tapping the ball towards Kagami who caught in the process as he immediately headed towards the basket.

_'__Overtaking from the outside takes too much movement. These guys are a pain!' _Kasamatsu thought in annoyance, as he glanced at the sky-bluenette, who looked as if she didn't break any sweat at all after their short time out during the first half. _'And that Karadai's the one making this happen! As expected as being part of the infamous Uncrowned Kings.'_

"Fast attack!"

Kise growled as he turned quickly in hopes to retrieve the ball before they can score a shot, but failed to notice that Kamiko was already right behind him. As a result, his fist swung back, and luckily, Kamiko had the quickest reflexes, she was able to dodge the hit by half a centimeter, stepping out of the danger zone.

"M-Mikocchi?" Kise then turned sideways, finding his hand too near the side of her face. The colour on his face drained as he took note that the sky-bluenette was doing her best to dodge his hand by stepping swiftly aside, only to create a friction on the floor, signaling a slide-screech, alerting every single one in the court in shock.

Curling her toes on her feet as she immediately found balance at the side step, Kamiko's honey-glazed eyes looked down at her shoes then back at the paling blonde who looked shaken at the fact that she was thought to take the fall as he placed his hand down and pressed her lips together to a thin line before she finally decided to speak up, though it was only for Kise's ears to be heard. "Ryota."

With that, Kise widened his golden orbs in dread at the sudden cold ice from Kamiko's tone, making him recall of how a certain fuchsia-headed male would sound like when he's dangerously calm. "Y-Yes?"

_'__Her aura just… shifted. It's… eerie.'_

The sky-bluenette's honey-glazed turned a shade darker as she spoke once more. "I'll let you off the hook this time just because Kami was able to balance herself to avoid that reckless swing," the girl turned her back on him and looked sideways with a faint smirk, eyeing him still. "God forbids this happens the second time around or _I'll make sure you see hell._"

_'__W-Wait…! S-She's…!?'_

_'__Heh? ' _The strawberry blonde male raised a brow at the sight of a suddenly sadistic-looking sky-bluenette in her one-on-one exchange with the blonde who paled even further at whatever the girl was telling him. He knows he hasn't known her too much to assess since they've only met once when they were younger, but not once had a thought of her being actually sadistic in reality crossed his mind in years.

_'__She's too good to be this… a sadist. I don't think this is really her…'_

* * *

"If Miko-chan hadn't dodged that swing, she would have been out of commission until the fourth quarter; or maybe after the game."

"And you had to display your mediocre skills—Ouch!"

A growing bump on Koganei's head was visible, sending him to animatedly cry at the side with Mitobe gently patting his head silently, and Riko withdrew her fisted hand to her lap as she calmed herself from twitching. Kamiko, on the other hand, blinked, for the first time, couldn't follow what they were talking about as she saw the rest of her teammates circling around the bench where she was currently sitting.

Riko shook her head lightly as she glanced at Kamiko then gets over to pass on the instruction. "The second years will be our offensive core." She said. "It's only the third quarter, but we can't let them get too far ahead of us." She glanced at Hyuuga. "I know it's early, but it's game time, Hyuuga-kun," Hyuuga nodded. "Kise-kun will just copy you," Riko then faced Kagami. "Because of that, Miko-chan has to play your part for this quarter." The short brunette faced Kamiko once more, who had a blank face on. "Whatever you have to do, do it accordingly."

Kagami was taken aback at the plan. "Are you sure that will work?" He asked, doubtful about the plan, but also is frustrated that he won't be able to play for the third quarter. After all, he had seen just what Kise was capable of, even able to break through his defenses.

"It'll be fine. Have some faith." Hyuuga looked at Kagami, annoyed. _'Are you looking down on your seniors?'_

"But—"

A shift of aura around Hyuuga changed and Kagami blinked.

"I said that it'll be fine, dumbass." Hyuuga said with a nice smile that seems a little too nice to be true. "Listen to your seniors once in a while, or I'll kill you." The whistle went off just then, and Hyuuga grumbled as he headed back to the court. "Geez, the freshmen these days… You should show more respect for your seniors! And get on your knees!"

Kagami stared blankly.

Izuki can only stare at their apparently bipolar captain. "You're showing your true colors, Captain," he called then turned towards the redhead. "Don't worry about him. He's always like that during clutch time. When he speaks his mind, he won't miss many of his shots. Leave the offense to us. You just defend like your life depends on it."

As they were back on court without Kagami then, Riko pressed her lips into a thin line as she was deep in thought, sitting back at the bench as the games resumed.

_"__Ryota, as far as I know, isn't capable in imitating a play that exceeds his limits, like the Uncrowned Kings and the Generation of Miracles, but we still can't relax. I have this feeling that he'll eventually overcome his wall sooner or later so let me play against him for now. If Kagami keeps playing him now, I doubt he'll last."_

_'__We trust you, Miko-chan.'_

* * *

The huffs and puffs of a black haired teenager could be heard, being almost out of breath as he pedaled one his bicycle with all his strength, pulling a rear car behind him in which a green-haired teen was sitting in.

"Damn it! We were supposed to trade at the signal," Kazunari Takao grumbled even as he pedaled on, leaving a very confused grade school student standing by the side of the road, staring at the rear car with wide eyes. "You haven't pedaled even once!"

"Thank you for stating such an obvious statement." The green-haired teen replied calmly as he held his Tsukiyo drink in his left hand, his fingers bandaged as usual. "Today's Oha-Asa horoscope predicted the greatest of days for Cancers like me."

"What does that have to do with this?!" Takao shouted at Midorima, annoyed. "Anyway, if we're coming all the way out here just to watch a practice match, your friends better be good!"

"It's the Copycat and the Demon Sixth Man," Midorima adjusted his eyeglasses as he answered.

"Are they good—wait,_ the mysterious Demon Sixth Man_?"

Midorima ignored his companion's question. "Hurry up, or the game will be over."

_"__It's your fault for reading horoscopes!"_

* * *

It's currently the middle of the fourth quarter, and there was a hushed silence over the court, particularly with the spectators, as Kamiko was already back in court just before third quarter resumed and Kagami noticed that there was a change in Kamiko as she was playing until now, even after she nearly face-planted on the floor earlier today; though he was itching on his seat.

_'__She seems different now; how she was playing now and the first two quarters are entirely different. This is more or less…' _Kagami thought as he quickly glanced at her, as she darted her way through three Kaijo players, dribbling the ball as she darted her eyes right to left, quickly made a short leap to do a shot and the Kaijo players who were three-walling her followed her movement and to that, she immediately bent down as she passed again through their defense and made a dunk on the basket, scoring for Seirin.

_'__It's more or less… destructive. I'm pretty sure that this isn't her fullest yet. Yet.'_

And as she made the shot, the surprised Kaijo players recovered quickly as they tried to rebound the ball then but to no avail, for she already got the ball before they even thought about rebounding it then passed it to Hyuuga, with the captain taking a shot at the goal, hereby bringing the game count to 82-82 with just 5 minutes to go.

"They're tied!"

Takeuchi was twitching like mad, whilst the Seirin bench was cheering.

Kise stared on in shock. _'We're tied?' _he thought. _'Am I really… going to lose here?'_

_"__Don't let your emotions get the worst out of you, even in a sport like basketball." Kamiko told him as she took a three-pointer flawlessly, with him watching her in awe. "Though, whatever happens in court stays in court."_

_"__She's right, Kise. You should really listen to your instructor," Akashi walked towards them with two fresh towels and two bottles of water in hand. Kise looked at Akashi coming into full view as the fuchsia-headed male passed the towels and the bottles to both of them._

_"__Win or lose, having fun is the first and foremost priority when it comes to sports such as basketball. That's the main challenge of it." Kamiko grinned as Akashi playfully dabbed her face with the fresh towel, causing her to shove him away in mock disgust. "If your purpose to play basketball is only for reputation, then don't think about touching the ball in the first place."_

Kise curled his hands into fists. _'I'm sorry, Mikocchi, but I have to win this, win against you.' _He then smirked darkly as his entire aura changed completely, and Kamiko already noticed this and Kagami then realized what was going on, but before either one of them could say or do anything; Kise immediately took off down the court in a burst of speed, even managing to bypass Kamiko and stole the ball, dunking it into the goal.

_"__But, what would happen if I let my emotions get the worst out of me, Mikocchi?"_

_The girl was silent for a few moments as she pondered on what words to say to the blonde. _

_"__You might lose sight of the purpose of why you're playing basketball." She glanced at him with a smile. "Do you still remember what purpose it was?" To which, the blonde grinned._

_"__To have fun!"_

Kamiko invisibly frowned as the blonde dropped on the ground lightly, with the ball now aimlessly bouncing after the dunk. She glanced then at the shocked Kagami then at the almost-murderous look that was written all over Kise's face.

_He remembered what you once told him when you were still teaching him, but he chose to discard it just to win._

The sky-bluenette heard Akkiko's note and sighed lightly and Kagami took a glance at Kamiko, noticing that she was calm despite Kise's sudden change.

The redhead then recalled what Kamiko had told him once.

_It isn't something you can understand by words alone. It's something you can comprehend only if you were present during that time too. Slowly but surely, they changed. And by the time we reached the Nationals in our third year, I can openly say that no one on Hanzo and Teiko loves basketball anymore._

_'__This is…' _Kagami gulped as he stared at Kise who looked pissed. _'… the Generation of Miracles?'_

"I won't lose!" Kise declared. "Not to anyone, not even to you, Mikocchi." _'Seirin isn't worthy enough for Mikocchi.' _The blonde thought angrily as he glared at the Seirin team. _'I'll prove it—I'll prove it in this match!'_

"This isn't good." Hyuuga grinned wryly. "Give it your all, everyone. This'll be just like the first quarter from here on out. A back and forth run and gun game!"

With just three minutes to go, and with the game count at 82-84 with Kaijo in the lead, it soon became a repeat of the first quarter—with both teams being back at scoring points one after the other without defending at all.

The time on the clock is simply ticking away, and now with fifteen seconds left to spare, both teams were tied at 98 points each.

Kamiko glanced at the clock. Ten seconds to go. No helping it.

_'__There's less than ten seconds left.' _Riko thought. _'We don't have the strength to play overtime!' _"You can't just defend the basket. Take the ball now!"

_Seven seconds left._

Hyuuga cursed to himself as a Kaijo player leapt up into the air, aiming for the shot. _'Shimat-ta—'_

Almost immediately, Kamiko appeared seemingly out of nowhere, knocking the ball out of the air before it could go into the goal. Hyuuga grabbed the ball, tossing it down the court towards Kamiko's direction, with her grabbing the ball.

Kise immediately blocked her way to the goal, and Kamiko looked dead straight into the blonde's eyes as she dribbled.

_"__Tell me, Ryota, do you still remember why we play basketball?"_

To that, Kise's eyes widened in surprise at her words, but before he could recover quickly, he then caught sight of Kamiko's sad expression as she swiftly passed through the blonde and immediately shot the ball from where she was.

_'__S-she shot the ball?' _Kise spluttered in shock.

_Two seconds left…_

"No…!" Kasamatsu realized what her plan is even as Kamiko appeared out of nowhere and leapt up into the air and grabbed the ball. "It's a one man alley-oop!"

"I won't let you!" Kise shouted as he jumped behind Kamiko, reaching for the ball. The angle has slightly shifted as he realized he bumped into her back and Kamiko's aim was disrupted just a little. He was surprised as they were still in mid-air and Kamiko's left hand which was holding onto the ball, she shifted to face the blonde in mid-air, though her angle becomes deliberately farther than she intended.

Her head snapped upward as her lips wordlessly twitch into a sad smile, with switching the ball to her right hand as she shoots from her back with a higher velocity to defy gravity, **behind** the basket with the ball eventually goaled with a buzzer beater and the whistle blew, with the game count being at 100-98, in favour of Seirin.

_"__W-Woah! What was the shot just now!?" _

_"__T-That's… a formless back goal shot!"_

_"__Who the hell is she?!"_

"She's done it," he muttered to himself as the strawberry blonde male's lips twitched into a light smile and left the premises shortly, having decided to talk to her in the latter time; when he feels that it's the right time to.

* * *

Seirin was ecstatic over their victory after they've gotten a quick shower and have changed into their uniforms, with Kaijo seeing them off outside the gym, dealing with their loss extremely well and in a good natured way. The atmospheres surrounding the two coaches are entirely different however. Takeuchi looked enraged while Riko was practically grinning.

"Because we're in different districts, if we play again, it'll be at the Inter High." Kasamatsu said with a smile, grasping Hyuuga's hand in a handshake.

"We'll be there," Hyuuga answered. "I don't want to confess my love butt naked."

The smile on Riko's face was enough for Kasamatsu to be confused over the Seirin captain's comment.

"Let's go!" Hyuuga ordered, as the other Seirin players followed closely behind. Kamiko was at the last to prepare to move off with the rest of her team and Kasamatsu noticed this. He worked up the courage as he gulped down his pride and walked towards her.

"Uh, Karadai! Good game back there."

Kamiko reached for her duffel bag as she heard her name being called and turned to see that it was the Kaijo captain walking towards her, looking all flustered.

"Ah, thanks."

The thought that has been nagging him ever since he laid eyes on the sky-bluenette became reality that hit him squarely on the face. Kasamatsu blinked as he just realized that she was… she was actually the same girl that he met once before. Where was it again? Oh, the street court that was nearly a block away from his apartment. To be honest, he was actually looking forward to seeing her again after that one time. Since the court was along the route going home, he would often drop by just as quick to check if she was at least present. Though it so happened that every single time that she wasn't there, he didn't give up. The newfound hope he received from the said girl was all the proof the captain needed that they'll definitely see each other again.

_Soon is indefinite, but yes, soon._

And that made him realize that that soon was… today.

"You're… Kasamatsu Yukio, right?"

That caught his attention as he lifted his head to look at her, seeing a small gentle smile across her lips as her honey-glazed eyes were trained on his steel-blue eyes and he blushed.

_'__That smile… I never thought I get to see it again.'_

"Y-Yeah, uh… I didn't get your first name though," He glanced at her again with her eyebrows raised and began to feel all flustered again. "I-I mean, if err, if that's okay!" The Kaijo captain scratched his cheek awkwardly as he avoided her honey-glazed eyes.

The Kaijo captain remembered that moment when he asked for her name the first time around and she said that…

_It's for me to know and for you to find out!_

He did think she was serious, though, but she was teasing him. In the end, however, she never told him her name, after all. That reminds him, will she say it then? Will she tell him her name at last? The thought made him nervous inwardly in excitement.

The sky-bluenette wore on her jersey jacket and giggled softly at his nervousness. "You blush and fluster too much for a guy, you know." He slightly frowned as he realized that she was teasing him; again. "Kamiko. My name's Karadai Kamiko." She faced the captain once again, ignoring the whistles from his teammates. "Kami or Miko is fine, since Kamiko is a tad bit long." The sky-bluenette took note of his confusion and smiled. "Ja, I'll take my leave, Kasamatsu-senpai."

She turned her heel towards the exit as she stopped by a gentle hand that was wrapped around her left wrist and she was surprised at this. Kamiko then turned to face the captain, who had a light blush across his cheeks as he smiled.

"Yukio. Please call me Yukio... Kami."

Kamiko tilted her head slightly and nodded. "Alright then." She paused and smiled. "See you in the upcoming Inter High, Yukio."

Okay, where is the Kasamatsu Yukio who takes pride in being an upperclassman? The one who would go all the way to tell those younger than him to call him by 'Kasamatsu-**_senpai_**'? Where did that Kasamatsu Yukio, who would hit anyone when one disrespects him, go? Don't worry, he's still there, but he's too overwhelmed. Would that word describe such? He doesn't think so. The steel-blue-eyed teen knew in himself that he's different when she's around and she has no idea. No idea at all.

To that, Kasamatsu was still smiling at her when he realized that he was still holding on her wrist and he blushed once more. "A-Ah! Sorry about that!" _'Stupid, stupid, Yukio for daydreaming!'_

Kamiko chuckled lightly as he took off his hand from her wrist. "It's fine. I do need to go or our coach will hunt me down. "Nice to formally meet you, Yukio." She bowed lightly as he did the same and left the gym, still within earshot as a Kaijo player, whom she remembered as the guy who was in front of her in the before-match greeting, asked the Kaijo captain.

"So! I can't believe that! You actually talked to a girl without too much stuttering! No, don't tell me… SHE'S THE GIRL YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT NONSTOP FOR MONTHS?! I'm amazed—"

Smack!

"GUAFF!"

"Shut up, Moriyama! Drop that this instant!"

Kamiko raised a brow, glancing just over her shoulder without being too obvious, as she saw the captain hit his fellow teammate rather hard, who looked like he was enjoying it though he also looked like he was suffering as well.

_I may not understand the situation you're in right now…_ _but I understand the pain in it a little._

_You're right. Despite how many times you fall, you just have to get up on your feet and move forward._

_If that's what basketball is to you, if you love basketball that much, you're not thinking of quitting are you?_

_S-Shall I see you soon? _

_Soon is indefinite, but yes, soon._

_That's my formal thanks, Senpai. See you soon._

She hummed to herself as she looked forward once more. "You may not know it yourself, but you've been a big help back then. I am already moving forward now and it's all thanks to you… Yukio."

* * *

_"__Tell me, Ryota, do you remember why we play basketball?" _

_Kise's eyes widened in shock as he heard Kamiko speak, whilst catching sight of a sad expression that was all over her face and his chest ached._

"She purposely left the question hanging to make me think…" the blonde was standing over the sink and turned the knob, with the cool gushing water pouring down like waterfall. "Why do I play basketball?"

Running his head under the cold water of the tap to cool himself down, he stood like that for a minute or so before turning the water off, letting the water run down his head.

Footsteps approached him just then.

"I always know you never win against Kamiko but really, you don't have to rub it in my face all the time_._" A familiar voice was heard and Kise turned towards the owner of the voice.

"You came to watch, Asahinacchi?" Kise sighed.

Asahina Shu was in a different set of training attire (still the inverted white and blue of Kaijo) suggested that he's an athlete of another sport—the track n' field. A senior and one of the best (if not the only one) in the sport of his choice, Kise's soon-to-be brother-in-law shook his head in semi-amusement. "Well, I heard that the basketball team was having a practice match with a high school that I haven't heard of, so it got me curious," he commented. "I must say, I'm a little surprised that Kamiko's playing for Seirin. I thought she would play for either it be Rakuzan, Shutoku or here because of her skills."

Kise sighed, feeling a little heavy in the chest as he turned the knob off and leaned against the sink. At that last comment, he recalled a memory when Kamiko decided on attending Rakuzan with Akashi as soon as they finish middle school, but a little before middle graduation prompted her to switch schools, attending Seirin High in the end. The reason behind that—he wouldn't really know exactly.

"And here I am, hoping that you've already graduated so that I can attend here in peace." Kise ignored his last comment. "It's good to see you again, Asahinacchi." He then quickly glanced at the strawberry-blonde's knee support specifically designed for track n' field. "I see you still run. I overheard your conversation with _Outo-san _to give up your sport in order to focus on holding the reins of the company."

"He can't stop me from playing the sport that I am passionate about." Asahina said, annoyed at the oblivious blonde as he threw a green towel towards Kise, who caught it easily. "And you know that eavesdropping is bad, right?"

"Shouldn't you be talking to Mikocchi instead of me?" Kise asked, wondering why his soon-to-be brother-in-law would come all the way to skip practice just to watch a practice match between Kaijo and Seirin.

"Maybe in the latter time. _Ja ne_," Asahina then turned his back on the confused blonde and left him there in his own thoughts when Midorima Shintaro waltzed in, noticing the strawberry-blonde retreating back to wherever he has to be and faced Kise. "It was an unfortunate game, Kise. I know you never, not once, had won against Hime-sama, but this is much worse. No wonder fate didn't choose your side."

Kise sighed inwardly at this at another familiar voice and took a side-glance at the green-haired male and looked down on his shoes. Although the blonde has been used to the green-haired male's antics since middle school, he couldn't help but feel annoyed at how silver-tongued Midorima would be when it comes to the blonde, ending up insulting him in the process when Midorima claimed he was only stating facts.

On cue, the Seirin players passed by, unaware of the two males on their right. The blonde and the green haired teen haven't catch sight of a sky-blue crown among them but eventually did, as she was catching up with them from behind. Kise wondered why she was left behind at the gym, though.

"I'm betting you couldn't accept the fact that she's attending a no-name school like Seirin?" Kise asked and at Midorima's twitch, the blonde knew that he had hit the nail on the head. "I knew it…" he deadpanned, remembering how displeased the green-haired male looked, even the rest of them, when they were the last to hear that Kamiko is already attending Seirin High instead of Rakuzan High.

Furrowing his brows in confusion over something, the blonde turned his attention back to the green haired male. "I thought Mikocchi decided to attend the same school with Akashicchi right after graduation? What changed her mind at the last minute and attend this Seirin High?"

Midorima was about to answer Kise's question when there was a ringing of a bicycle bell just then, and both boys turned only to see an angry Takao riding his bicycle furiously, pedaling the rear car towards them, glaring at Midorima.

"Midorima, you bastard!" Takao yelled. "You left me alone in the middle of the traffic! Do you know how embarrassing that is?!"

Midorima merely shrugged and turned his attention back towards Kise. "I just came to watch the game today, but allow me to apologize. There's no way we'll lose to Seirin. I regret to tell you that you should give up on your revenge."

The green haired male was about to turn his heel when he swung a straight punch square on the blonde's jaw, causing the latter to yelped in pain and cover his throbbing jaw. "You always let your emotions get the worse out of you, nearly resulting to something that **shouldn't** have happened back there in the match."Midorima glared at Kise as he continued, knowing that the blonde knew exactly what the green haired male was talking about. "You were in sheer luck that Kami was able to balance herself to avoid that swing. You were _there_ when it happened. You saw how Akashi reacted when Hanamiya injured her, his own former captain, right before his eyes. You saw how furious he was!" He took out his cell phone and dialed a number. "I think Akashi wants to speak with you."

Kise then paled. If Akashi ever catches note that he had injured Kamiko accidentally… he wouldn't even dared to think about it.

Intentionally or accidentally, when someone hurts Kamiko, it is hell broke loose with the former Generation of Miracles' captain.

"Midorimacchi, please don't tell him." Kise pleaded. "Must you tell him now?"

"Do I look like I'd be happy to have my head staked on display with your own?" Midorima felt more annoyed then, his phone placed next to his ear and to that Kise knew what he had meant.

Akashi wouldn't be happy if information too important such as this is withheld from the former captain.

"Akashi?" Midorima spoke into his phone and Kise's eyes widened, paling ever further. The green haired male then glanced over at Kise. "He's present." He handed his phone to Kise. "Akashi wants to talk to you."

Kise stared at the green haired male then at his phone and finally sighed. "Okay…" He then took the phone as he placed it against his ear. "Hello?"

_"__Ryota." _The smooth voice on the line made the blonde gulp nervously. _"So I heard what happened during the practice match."_

"I-It was a near-accident!" Kise squeaked. "I'm sorry!"

There was a short silence before Akashi spoke again. _"A word of warning: watch your back if Kaijo ever meets Rakuzan." Click._

Kise looked at the phone in horror as Akashi hung up. He wondered if he can fake having a stomach ache if Kaijo ever ends up facing, **_heaven forbid_**, Rakuzan High School, in a match.

"Despite everything, I wish you the best of luck, Kise." Midorima took his phone from an immobile Kise and left him in his thoughts, with Takao catching up with the green haired male, yelling something incoherent after the former.

* * *

_From Tetsuya:_

_I heard you had your practice match with Kaijo High and won. Congratulations, Kami-nee! _

Riko dragged Kamiko over to the nearest hospital straight after leaving Kaijo High to get her head checked out first of all, and the entire team was relieved to learn that it isn't anything serious. Kamiko had to take things easy for the next couple of days, not to get her bandages wet also.

"All right, we won!" Koganei finally let out his excitement as the jubilation at winning the match against Kaijo High.

"Let's get something to eat on the way home." Izuki suggested.

"What do you want?" Hyuuga asked.

"Something cheap." Koganei piped up. "I'm broke."

"Well how much does everyone have after transportation costs?" Riko asked and the team soon started digging out their wallets to count their money only to realize that they barely have enough to feed even one person.

"Gah, let's go home," Hyuuga said at last, staring at the two ten yen coins in Riko's hand.

"Yeah," Koganei nodded in disappointment.

Kamiko sighed as she glanced around her surroundings. The nearest hospital that Riko had dragged her to had been in the Tokyo district, and they're currently not far from Sayou's restaurant.

"My mom's dearest friend owns a restaurant not far from here," Kamiko spoke up and all eyes rested on her. "I don't think she'll mind if I bring you over. She always complains that I don't bring enough friends over as it is."

"Eh? Your mom's friend?" Hyuuga repeated, as the rest of the team stared at her in confusion.

"Yeah it's this way."

* * *

The signboard labeled 'Orpheus Heart' could be seen clearly above the restaurant as Kamiko opened the door, entering the restaurant with the rest of her team behind her.

The restaurant has a homey cozy atmosphere. Small, but delightful to see. A smiling, charming lady somehow in her early 30's with dark reddish hair with blue streaks hair tied up in a neat bun with a dark blue apron on is standing behind the counter.

"Sayou_-san_!" Kamiko called out and the lady looked up in surprise and smiled at the sight of her god-daughter.

"Miko_-chan_! It's been so long!" Sayou walked towards Kamiko. "Are these your friends?"

Kamiko nodded as she glanced at her teammates. "They're my teammates from the basketball club."

"Sorry for the interruption." Riko bowed, nudging the others to do the same.

Hyuuga just stared at Sayou, blinking in surprise. "Y-You're— G-Gah! You're Jinguji Sayou! One of the retired but renowned WNBA players!" He spluttered as he realized his mistake then bowed as well, rather stiffly, causing the older woman to blink but nonetheless smiled at the male's reactions.

"Yes, that's me alright. Oh and please, do call me 'Sayou_-san'_, alright?" The charming lady motioned them to stand straight and laughed a little. "I look younger than my age, after all!" To that, Riko was able to giggle at the note, leaving the guys confused but awe-struck. The older female patted Kamiko's head gently. "Have you come for a meal? I'll serve you the restaurant's special! It'll be on the house!"

"Is that alright?" Hyuuga asked.

"It's fine!" Sayou hurried them to a nearby long table that manages to seat the entire team as easily. "Miko-chan rarely brings friends over. One time, she brought over her team from middle school and such gluttons, I must say! I wouldn't know how Miko_-chan_ put up with them," Sayou giggled, much to Kamiko's growing embarrassment. "I was even more surprised when I found out that her younger brother chose to attend Teiko, instead of Hanzo; hence, Miko_-chan's_ bawling her eyes out every single time."

"Sayou_-san_!" Kamiko groaned.

Sayou laughed. "Okay, I know. I'll leave you children to talk while I prepare your meal. And no, stay where you are, Miko_-chan_," she told Kamiko sternly, noticing the sky-bluenette about to get up from her seat. "I'll take care of everything."

It took her awhile, trying to decide to stubbornly go against her wishes or just sit it out, she sighed. "Fine."

Eventually, meals were served as the team simply cheered as it arrived on the table. Riko felt bad at having so much food being 'on the house', but Sayou simply refused to listen to the short brunette's protests.

* * *

As so, the team was also quickly introduced to Kagami's abnormal eating ways.

"This is really good. Better than America's steak! Can I have seconds please?" Kagami asked, his mouth enlarged by the steak that he just stuffed in.

_'__He's stuffing his cheeks like a squirrel!' _Hyuuga thought in embarrassment. He wanted so much to protest that food on the house was too much, but to ask for seconds atop of it…

Sayou only laughed at the sight. "It's nice to see a healthy young man like yourself eat this much," she said, bringing another round of food to their table which Kagami began stuffing his mouth again. "Come to think of it…" She glanced at the sky-bluenette, who was eating like the redhead, but in a more proper way. "Miko_-chan_ has no problems whatsoever!"

To that, the rest of the team, except Kagami, looked at the sky-bluenette, who was already in her third round.

"I-Impossible! For a girl, you eat like a guy! How can you even stay fit with that?" Koganei blinked in surprise as Kamiko paused to look up from her plate and faced him.

"Fast metabolism. I'm a guy living in this poor girl's body," She deadpanned as she resumed eating, with Riko and Hyuuga, even Izuki laughed at her short answer, as she obviously didn't want anyone to disturb her eating, who mumbled with 'Sayou_-san_, can I have seconds please?'

As the older woman left the table, Riko then nudged at Kamiko, who apparently gave the brunette a glare, but the short girl just ignored the look as she leaned in to whisper. "So what did the Kaijo captain want from you anyways?"

To that, the sky-bluenette choked on her food as Riko just snicker at her reaction. The sky-bluenette drank water then to choke in her food the right way and burped, excusing herself. Sighing, she then glanced at the brunette, who had a rather smug smile on her face. "He called to congratulate me in person." The sky-bluenette looked back at her half-empty plate then. "Then he asked for my first name." To which, Riko squealed with glee, causing the other players to scoot far to the other side at her sudden change of mood.

"H-He likes you!" The brunette squirmed in her seat, as Kamiko winced at the sound of her high-pitch tone. "I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Kagami chewed on his food—apparently the only one who didn't move from his spot when Riko squealed like a girl.

"That Kaijo captain! I knew it! He keeps glancing at her and he thought he wasn't obvious," Riko then makes a face as she was still practically jumping up and down on her seat, making Kamiko distancing herself from the coach and Kagami was still munching on his food, confused at the coach's words, causing the redhead to glance at the sky-bluenette who only shrugged.

Hyuuga then cleared his throat as he got back to his seat and the others did the same when Riko finally calm down a little. "Riko might have overreacted over such thing, but I did notice that Kasamatsu keeps glancing at you, bench and court." The four-eyed captain pointed it out, much to Kamiko's mild annoyance.

The sky-bluenette massaged her aching temple, avoiding the bandage altogether. She then pushed the chair as she stood up and left the restaurant as the rest of the team stayed inside to relax a little more before heading back. Kamiko sighed as she closed the door behind her and stopped in surprise as she saw Kise standing outside, apparently waiting for her.

"R-Ryota?"

Kise looked at her and nodded a bit. "Do you have a minute?" he asked.

* * *

The two individuals ended up walking towards a park not too far from the restaurant. It is near sunset by then, and the park is nearly empty.

The blonde settled himself atop the back seat of a nearby bench. "How …" he took a quick glance at her and sighed, grimacing at the very thought of a certain fuchsia crown killing him whilst on court if Kaijo ever faces Rakuzan in a match. "… are you?"

"Oh, this? It's nothing serious." Kamiko reassured the solemn-looking blonde with a wave of hand. "How are you coping up with the loss, Ryota? I mean, I know that you don't take losing really well—"

With a dismissive wave of hand and a sound of an amused chuckle, Kise looked at Kamiko then at the street court. "Surprisingly felt refreshed after being beat up into a pulp. No hard feelings. It actually felt good to lose once in a while." He leaned backwards a little too much to be safe.

The sky-bluenette looked a little surprised at this before she smiled a little. "Are you sure you're my blonde best friend who constantly whines about hating to lose? Because if not, I like this version better—the one who can accept a loss in humility."

To that, Kise gasped in mock horror and leaned forward to flick her nose lightly, to which she scrunched her face with wide eyes and covered her nose in defense. "I'm still the same American blonde you met in fifth grade, up until now." The blonde sighed lightly as he placed his sling bag on the bench where he was sitting on. "Your question back in the practice match just got me thinking and realize something."

Kamiko glanced at the blonde male then as she placed her hand on her hip, facing him side-ways, deciding to play innocent. "What question are we talking about here, Ryota?"

Kise blinked as he leapt down onto the ground and scratched his nape, looking guilty as if he was caught doing something bad. " _'Do you still remember the reason why we play basketball?'_ " he repeated the question, causing the sky-bluenette to raise her brows in remembrance and the blonde continued. "Looking back through the middle school years, I couldn't recognize myself, even the rest of us, about how we played when third year came. The very reason why we play basketball is not because having a club is a requirement as an extra-curricular activity, but because we love it."

When the sky-bluenette was unmoving, he continued on. "But when we grew mentally, physically, and psychologically, we eventually lost sight of the reason why because of the constant victories we claimed; reaching to the point that every single one of the team we've ever faced had their will to play crushed." The blonde tucked his hands on his pant pockets and faced the court. "To be honest, I don't remember the last time I play basketball for fun, not for show." He then looked down on his shoes sheepishly. "If anything, without you saying it straight to my face, we all evolved for the worse, losing the passion in the process." He looked up to find her eyes. "I evolved for the worse, Mikocchi, and I'm sorry for having you witness _that_ sort of change. I'm a disappointment as your former student and a fellow basketball player."

To that, Kamiko widened her honey-glazed eyes at the revelation he shared. Well, yes, about the content of the information, but how he was able to realize everything on his own. She wasn't expecting him to admit anything, but she can see how he was willing to crush his pride to admit his fault as her best friend, her former student, and her fellow basketball rival. He displayed such humility and she couldn't help but feel proud at how he is doing his best to find his way back to his former self; someone who'll risk anything for the sake of the sport he loves.

The sky-bluenette moved to place a comforting hand over his shoulder, causing the blonde to look at her in mild surprise and wonder; surprised at the sudden movement because the whole time he was talking, she's been immobile on her spot and wondered what she was going to do or say next.

She then snaked her arms around his neck then, tiptoeing a little to hug him in a comfortable position, her face nuzzling on the crook of his neck. The gesture threw him off-guard, the blonde widening his eyes in surprise, but he then wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on the crook of her neck to their slight height difference.

"I'm so proud of you, Ryota; so proud that you came on your own."

* * *

The Seirin team split up after their meal, thought Riko was worried about Kamiko's sudden disappearance because of her injury. Sayou reassured the coach however, telling her that Kamiko might be at the nearby convenience store where she usually gets her Pocari every after meal from the older female's restaurant.

Riko wasn't satisfied at her answer but politely bowed as they went out of the restaurant, promising the owner that they would come back soon, much to Sayou's happiness. The coach then decided to go look for Kamiko, as the taller female looked rather annoyed at the team's teasing earlier; thus, the entire team was roped into searching for her.

"Geez…" Kagami muttered in annoyance as he walked past a park in search for his surprisingly-strong teammate. The sounds of a basketball dribbling caught his attention, and he grinned. _'Street ball. It's been a while since I've seen that in Japan.' _The redhead was then taken aback as he spotted a familiar shade of blue hair through the fence, with a blonde male with her, whom he finally recognized as his fellow rival on court.

* * *

Just a bit too soon, she pulled back, withdrawing her arms from his neck, to which he internally pouted due to the sudden loss of her warmth. The sky-bluenette placed her hands behind her back and grinned, to which the blonde returned cheekily.

"I've been waiting for you to tell me that straight on, Mikocchi."

"Heh?" Kamiko raised a brow in surprise. "Well, consider that one-time-big-time kind of thing. I've always been proud of you despite… eh…" she just shrugged lightly and tucked her hands on her pant pockets. "I've never been good with sharing my emotions openly, so savor that as much as you can because I don't think I'm going to repeat that any time soon."

The blonde, at first furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but finally came about as he realized what she meant and whined. "But it is so much better when you say it, Mikocchi!" He face-palmed. "You always have this way of getting my hopes up only to destroy it in the process. Mean!" He animatedly cried.

The girl chuckled softly and shook her head in amusement. "Where's the fun in that if I don't do it like that, you know?"

Kise pouted, sniffling and wiped his nose. "I can't believe that this is how you show that you love me, Mikocchi! Ugh, you're worse than Midorimacchi!"

To that, she laughed, eventually the blonde laughed along.

"Speaking of Midorimacchi, he came to watch the match earlier today," he cleared his throat as soon as he sobered up from laughing, causing the sky-bluenette to stop laughing abruptly and looked at the blonde.

The atmosphere was heavy, despite the cool weather.

"Ah, the _Beast_," she mused lightly—the shift in her mood was evident and Kise can only gulp at the sudden change— there wasn't even a hint of humor in it. "I hope he's well."

Kise then glanced at Kamiko, whose honey-glazed eyes turned dark for a second but as soon as he blinked, the shade was already gone and her face was inexpressive. "He, well, saw the near-accident and I got a scolding from _him_—"

To that, her attention snapped towards the blonde in flash with wide eyes—partly from shock, but mostly due to the fact that Midorima bothered to come by, even if it was only a practice match. Her eyes withdrew to their normal size and shook her head lightly. Midorima would never give a glance about the match; so he was asked to check it out and she knows exactly who. _First,_ Kise and _now_ Midorima?

She would wonder what _he _has planned under his sleeve, despite being a protective best friend. Knowing _him _practically her whole life, he always has a motive, whether it be on court or off court.

"Why am I getting this feeling that _he _is the culprit behind your suddenly springing back to life, Ryota? And Shinta-kun, too."

To that, the sky-bluenette placed a hand on her hip as she looks straight on the paling Kise with a menacing glint in her eyes. "What's _he _planning now? Wanting to see if Seirin High is fit for me and if not, _he'll _pull me out in a heartbeat and enroll me in _that _school?" She sighed lightly and crossed her arms in defeat. "_He _just doesn't know when to stop."

"S-So you've already put the pieces together, ne, Mikocchi?"

The blonde chuckled nervously, scratching his nape in the process, and Kamiko nodded solemnly, her arms still crossed across her chest as she faced the court.

"You don't have to report anything to _him_, Ryota. I'll talk to him myself."


	7. ASDF D:

Hello again, _minna-san!_ Unfortunately, this is only another Author's note. T_T I'm sorry, first of all, for getting your hopes up, when you thought this is another story update!

Anyways! Just to let you know in advance, I might be unable to update ASAP in the later weeks. Yes, graduation is around the corner and we're all catching up with our thesis projects and assignments in order to avoid summer classes and move forward. It sucks because this 2015 year, there are a lot of new episodes of my favorite animes being released and I can't watch them until this hell of a semester is finally finished!

*mutters under my breath* I need to keep myself together. I can still wait. (|o3o|) D'X

But! But! But! I'll post one more chapter today- more like a filler kind of chapter. In Chapter 6, we noticed how Kasamatsu Yukio finally recalled meeting Karadai Kamiko around the time when Kaijo High failed to win in the Inter High preliminaries. I think most of you might wonder what really happened about how Kasamatsu met Kamiko, so I though I'd make a filler chapter about it. It's pretty short, but I hope you like it nonetheless!

More follows, reviews, favorites for this story, more updates to come! **ARIGATO GOZAIMASU**, minna-san, for taking your time to read this story! :D

**Love lots, D.J.~**


	8. How Kasamatsu first met Kamiko

_"If I haven't missed that pass, we would have won…"_

_A Kaijou player then slammed the locker in frustration as he leaned against it then and felt his composure falling apart, feeling his tears running like a river from his eyes._

_Since Kaijo High School lost at the preliminaries of the Inter High, the juniours shed their tears as their dream was shattered all because of one miss pass. Losing by only one point really hurt them. They had a chance to turn the game over but everything went wrong because of Kasamatsu Yukio's miss pass._

_"Should we go get him, Moriyama?" Kobori Koji, hearing a loud yet muffled sound of a slammed locker, nudged his teammate, who was just about to shoot some rounds to at least forget the defeat even for a short while then._

_"Leave him be, Kobori," Moriyama Yoshitaka sighed, and for once, all playfulness in the latter was gone. The Kaijo shooting guard picked up the ball, and stood up then, dribbling his way to the court. "He needs it more than we do."_

_Hayakawa Mitsuhiro was standing against the wall, with arms loosely crossed across his chest, and for once, he spoke without getting all fired up or even talking too fast. "I hope Kasamatsu-san's alright."_

_Not that the rest of Kasamatsu's teammates were unfazed about their defeat, but they were more worried for Kasamatsu then. They knew where to butt in when it's needed, especially when the blow of that defeat hit Kasamatsu Yukio the hardest out of all of them._

* * *

_"You called me in, Coach?"_

_The shortest Kaijou player stepped into the lockers then, finding Takeuchi Genta in a chair, looking as if he's been in deep thought. Just a while ago as he was bawling his eyes out, he thought of quitting basketball as he saw himself unfit to even help the team to victory after the preliminaries defeat. When he was told that Coach had called him in something important, he thought he'd tell the portly man that he'd quit basketball then._

_"Ah, Kasamatsu. Yes, I did." The portly man had a solemn face on as he was leaning against the back rest of his chair, motioning for Kasamatsu to come closer._

_"Coach, I was thinking—"_

_"I'm making you the team's captain, Kasamatsu."_

_Kasamatsu's steel blue eyes widened at their coach's sudden resolve, looking at him as if the portly man just made the worst decision in his entire life. 'I've led the team to its downfall. I'm not fit to even take responsibility of a leader. I'm the worst!' "B-But Coach! I'm not fit to be part of the team, much less be the leader of the team! I'm quitting."_

_Genta glanced at the shaking player, who was doing his best to keep his cool together. "Losers learn from their mistakes and move forward to become better." The man gave the surprised teen a small smile as the said man stood up from his chair, not facing the teen player. "We learn and we move forward. We motivate ourselves more and you're the man for the job." The portly man turned his heel towards the door, but before he stepped out of the room, he glanced at the teen player._

_"There's no way I'm letting you quit. Who's going to help me keep our players in line?"_

_To that, the portly man left, leaving Kasamatsu in his thoughts._

_Losers learn from their mistakes and move forward to become better._

* * *

_It was almost dark out when he realized that his teammates left him a new basketball in the court, for the sake of cheering their friend and teammate up. Kasamatsu sighed and smiled as a little as he tucked the new ball under his arm, with his duffel bag already hanging on his other shoulder then. Closing the doors of the gym behind him, he decided to walk home then, tired of the many events that happened that day._

_Just on his way home, he caught sight of a street court then, fairly lit by the surrounding street lamps then. Thinking of cooling off, he walked towards the court then, distinctively hearing the sounds of a ball rebounding against the board of the goal. The steel blue-eyed teenager approached the steps of the stairs, soon seeing a sky-bluenette standing in the court, whose back was on him, wearing a black man tank top with white loose jeans._

_'A girl? I've never seen a girl like her before, much less a girl who plays a game like basketball.'_

_The sky-bluenette dribbled the ball then as her knees were slightly bent in position. She dribbled the ball from her right to left then vice versa as Kasamastu just stood there by the wired fence, watching the girl do her thing. The sky-bluenette did a swift sprint towards the goal as she made to jump to make a loop shot then, yet as she hooked her right arm in the ready, she hissed as she felt her arm twitch in a slight angle before the ball left her hand, hitting the rim instead, bouncing aimlessly as she touched ground._

_'She's… fast! I could barely see her movements. T-That was supposed to be a perfect hook shot!' Kasamatsu gaped at the miss shot as the girl touched ground and caught the ball with her left hand before it hits the wired fence._

_Just about then, it rained heavily as he was fumbling on an umbrella from his bag then. In time, his upper body was half-soaked but at the moment he didn't care. The girl he saw then was unmoving from her spot, having to be completely drenched by the heavy rain. He still couldn't make out her face since she was looking down, but his gut is telling him that the said girl had her bad day, if not worse._

_As the girl lifted her head to look at the basket, he felt his chest clench in unfamiliar pain, seeing the distraught look on her face as she took a short leap for the aim with the ball in her right hand. Even before the ball could leave her hand, Kasamatsu saw her right hand—no, her right arm twitch and the ball hit the board beside the hoop._

_Kasamatsu, without realizing it himself, dropped his bag and ball, even his umbrella as he heard faintly pained whimpers from the girl. He has no idea how to console a girl; heck he doesn't even know how to talk to one without stuttering! But, there's one fact: judging from her performance just now, she must have her day worse than his. He found himself walking away from the wired fence as he moved towards the girl, grabbing her gently by her left arm._

_"Miss—"_

_"Go away! Leave me alone!" The sky-bluenette shouted at him through tear-filled eyes and Kasamatsu was taken aback. Other than the fact that she was just mere inches shorter than him and was actually pretty up close, he was more taken aback at how she responded then. 'She has it worse, huh…'_

_The sky-bluenette was profusely rubbing her wet eyes with her damp sleeveless shirt neckline. "They're lying. I don't believe them…" The girl picked the ball by her foot, holding it in her right hand that is starting to tremble. "I can still play…" Her voice, hoarse from crying, started to waver, "I can still play the way I used to! I'll just have to prove them wrong!"_

_At the sight alone, it almost broke his heart to see the unknown girl like this. Somehow, he was in the similar situation as she is now. He started to lose hope, but someone weaved the hope that was thought lost back to him and he decided not to let the person down again. The girl before him… she's starting to lose hope. He couldn't really understand what situation she's in right now, but he's understood the pain in it a bit. Kasamatsu gave a light sigh as he slowly held the ball that was resting in her hand, causing the girl to look up, carefully watching his movements as a pair of steel blue eyes clashed with a pair of honey-glazed orbs._

_"I may not understand the situation you're in right now…" he slowly began. "… but I understand the pain in it a little." He was still holding the ball then, but slowly withdrew his hands with the ball from her hand as she was still looking at him, unmoving. He gave a frown then. "You're injured… right?"_

_To that, the sky-bluenette's eyes widened just a slight fraction before composing herself rather quickly as she straightened her posture with a hand on her hip. "So you've been watching me." It was a statement, not a question, but he didn't care a bit as he was caught red-handed in the first place after all. The rain lessened but it was still present, as two strangers were completely soaked by then. The girl caught sight of his jersey jacket then, finally facing the male. "Kaijou High? The one who lost in the preliminaries because of a miss pass?"_

_Kasamatsu flinched just slightly, but she caught note of it quickly. The sky-bluenette sighed lightly as she faced the basket once more. "Everybody makes mistakes since no one is really perfect. We can only just… learn from it and move on, I guess," she said, trying to convince herself more than the teenage guy before her._

_She knew in herself that it's a lie. How can she move forward when she was told that she can no longer play basketball like she used to? Telling her not to play is as good as telling her not to breathe. She loved basketball more than anything in the world. She'd be as good as dead if she is prevented to play the one thing that she cherished the most._

_The male's eyes widened at her words, remembering the words that his coach told him earlier that day when he was named captain of his team._

_We learn and we move forward. When we fall, we just have to get up. No matter how many times, get up on your feet and move forward. That's how we motivate ourselves to do better and better, in and out of court._

_"You're right," he softly agreed, the tone in which caught her attention as she turned to face him once more, tilting her head in curiosity. "Despite how many times you fall, you just have to get up on your feet and move forward." The steel blue-eyed teen glanced at the sky-bluenette, whose features were softened with innocence and curiosity, one that was far different from her distraught look earlier. "Learning never ends."_

_The sky-bluenette faced him fully and the dark-spikey haired male, with the ball already tucked under his arm, blinked at her figure. She was really fit. Her tank top wasn't all fitted, but he could clearly make out the shape of her curves then. Her white pants are a bit baggy as well, but it looked really good on her. Her muscles are firm at the right places. The sky-bluenette's face was heart-shaped then; honey-glazed eyes; flushed cheeks; cute nose; her pressed lips. Overall, she looked too perfect._

_"Why do you play basketball?"_

_"Huh?" 'Why is she asking me that all of a sudden?'_

_The sky-bluenette smiled a little, an expression that he's seen for the first time, making him wonder such an expression could actually light up her whole face. "Is it because you are good it? Is it because you just want to win? Is it because you have something that no one else has?" She paused, glancing at the male who looked surprised. "Is it worth letting one loss make you give up your reason to play in the first place?" The sky-bluenette lightly shrugged as she looked at her open left palm then and if there's such thing as being more confused, then the male was even more confused at her words. "Those were the questions that kept me thinking the whole time I was staying in the hospital…" She briefly glanced at the male, who looked like he was about to interrupt but she just ignored him as she continued. "I… was asked once before… the reason why I play basketball." She paused as she saw the rain stopped. "I play basketball because… I love it. I love the game ever since I can remember. It's the only thing that keeps me alive. For me, playing basketball is the same as breathing."_

_"If that's what basketball is to you, if you love basketball that much, you're not thinking of quitting are you?"_

_That caused the sky-bluenette to look at the steel blue-eyed Kaijou player, considering his question then, as she was silent for several moments. "I thought of it," she admitted at last, causing the male to raise a brow. "I remembered considering on quitting basketball right before the National championships."_

_"Why?"_

_She just let out a rather humorlessly laugh, causing the male to be more confused. Was it something he said? He doesn't think his question was anything near funny, at all._

_"People I thought I knew have come to hate it, hate the game they used to love so much." The sky-bluenette mused lightly without humor at all. "I was too naïve to think that the said passion would stay burning despite how time would fly by, but eh, people's feelings are meager, changing. Such things wither before we realize it ourselves." She paused to take a quick breath before she continued. "I'm not surprised if you thought of quitting basketball, though. For instance, like what happened in your match."_

_The steel-blue eyed teen can only stay silent at her blunt remark. She was right, though he wouldn't know how she knew that he had thought of quitting basketball then. He must be that transparent to see through, huh?_

_"Defeat is one thing. It's somehow… refreshing to experience defeat once in a while. It's one of the things that would make you realize that you're still learning and like you said is right. Learning never ends."_

_And that caught him in surprise. Here… her, as he thought that she was losing hope… she's basically the one reassuring him, giving a new hope to hold onto. It's strange in a way, and like she said, it is refreshing. Wait, it is actually strange. He realized that he wasn't stuttering or even nervous around this unknown girl. How is she different from the others? She IS a girl, too, right? Why is there… a calming feeling in his chest as he was conversing with this girl?_

_"I better go. My best friend would kill me if I'll be late… well, I'll be damned. I'm already late anyway," the sky-bluenette mumbled as she hurriedly picked her basketball up from a corner and to her duffel bag then. The boy frowned at the short decent conversation, but at least, it was fruitful—he learned something that was more than worth as a motivation, even for himself. He sighed as he slumped his shoulders slightly, looking as if he was sulking that the conversation he had with the girl had to come to an abrupt end._

_As he turned his heel to get his stuff, he stopped._

_Actually, **he was stopped on his tracks**._

_He was stopped on his tracks when he felt a pair of unfamiliar slender arms wrapped around his waist, around him, as if he was to stay put. Though, he was too frozen to move; too shocked to even move a centimeter. The boy felt the sky-bluenette bury her face on his back as she tightened the wrap a bit, eventually hearing her muffled sniffs on his back._

_"Thanks for listening to me…"_

_His steel blue eyes widened when he heard her muffled thank-you. Her arms gradually loosened just a little as she finds herself straightening her posture then as he turned to face her._

_"S-Shall I see you soon?"_

_The moment that these words came tumbling out of his mouth, he blushed and looked away as he was cursing to himself silently and that sight alone made her giggle softly, causing him to glance at her, wondering what made her giggle._

_"Soon is indefinite, but yes, soon," was her gentle answer and he huffed with a small smile. "I really have to go then…"_

_"A-Ah! Yeah, sure. Alright, wait… your name… I don't know…" he sounded unsure, looking embarrassed all of a sudden._

_The sky-bluenette, her duffel bag hanging on her left shoulder with the ball tucked under her right arm, tilted her head at the male teenager. 'He's a hopeless duffos when it comes to talking to girls, huh…?' she mused to herself as she shook her head in amusement. Should she play with him just a bit?_

_"Well," she pretended to think as she emphasized it with a thinking pose. "It's for me to know and for you find out for yourself!" The girl chuckled at his redness then, the boy looking as if he was drowned in his own world, in his embarrassment. Just to wake him up, she leaned to kiss him gingerly on the side just near his lips, apparently jolting him awake from his dreamland, feeling a soft cool kiss dangerously near to his lips. As soon as he realized that, he backed away a little too fast, bumping his back against the wired fence by then, looking at the girl as if she was an alien in horror._

_The girl giggled softly. "That's my formal thanks, Senpai. See you soon."_

_To that, she dashed out of the court, leaving the male alone in his confused thoughts and feelings._

_As soon as she left him alone, his hand darted automatically on the side of his lips, still feeling the lingering sensation from her lips. He shook his head as he straightened himself to get his things. Well, he already cooled off in a way, though not through basketball, but still._

_'I have to bring my team up again. We're going to win the Inter High next year by proving my resolve and position as the new captain.' The boy looked towards the direction where the sky-bluenette routed as a relaxed smile finds its way to his lips. 'Thanks for fully opening my eyes towards a new hope, miss. I may not know your name now, but I do hope we'll meet each other soon.'_

_Little did he know…_

_They did meet again… as the Kaijo Captain and Seirin's one of Twin Aces.  
_

* * *

**THIS IS THE FILLER I WAS TALKING ABOUT! So yeah. :D**

**Don't worry, minna-san. I shall update soon! I hope not too long. xD**

**Love lots, D.J.~**


	9. Author's Note

Ello guys! I'm sorry I haven't been online these past few weeks. Thesis is demanding so much attention and graduation is around the corner! D: Muse is being a bad girl as well.

I can't stay online for long though.

Sad to say, when I read some of the reviews in this story, I've thought of deleting this story and make a whole new one. Maybe not a whole new one, but something a bit divert or different from the original manga and TV series story line. So I've been editing the chapters so to speak. -shakes head-

Something like ' [Edited DD/MM/YYYY at HH:MM]' would be labeled at the bottom of the chapter for your information.

If you still want this story to continue, please message me. If not, then it's fine.

I'm sorry.


	10. Chapter 7

**/ Short author's note: HEY GUYS! omg, I'm so sorry for leaving most of you hanging on this story. I've been watching how this story was attracting more readers and I was shocked when there were some who bothered to drop by and made encouraging reviews of wanting this story to continue. Even my email was a little drowned in story favorites and follows from here and I wanted to cry. **

**Anyway, don't fret! After the reviews and some PMs, you all got me thinking and I decided to continue really. I'll warn you though: I'll be late in updating since I'm busy with my college studies. Just PLEASE continue to vote, review, favorite and follow this story! It means the whole world to me, srsly.**

**Love lots**

**-DJ**

After talking for a few more minutes, the blonde male left with a grin and a wave, to which the girl returned. Just when Kise turned around to go on his way, the smile on Kamiko's face disappeared quickly, dropping her hand on her side, sensing another presence not far from where she was standing. The whole time that she and Kise were talking, she knew that Kagami had already seen them but didn't interrupt them, though it was much to her annoyance about his being an eavesdropper.

"How long are you going to keep hiding there, Kagami?" She spoke just enough for him to hear, startling him in the process.

"Y-You knew?" The redhead spluttered, then emerged from behind the fences as he walked towards the sky-bluenette, scratching his neck awkwardly, clearly knowing that he was caught red-handed then.

Kamiko nodded rather stiffly, glancing briefly at the taller male, wondering if he would be interrogating her then since she noticed the curious look on the redhead's eyes that was directed to the direction where Kise routed. The sky-bluenette adjusted her jersey jacket and faced the redhead.

"Kise wanted to apologize to me in person so he did," She carefully chose the words as she began, causing the redhead to look at her. Not that she was caught red-handed also, but then, she didn't dare mention his name again, since Kagami didn't even ask for it as well, much to her relief.

"He'd better," Kagami tucked his hands through his jersey jacket's side pockets as he snorted in disbelief as he looks at the sky-bluenette. "He got way too emotional over something like that match."

"How much did you hear, Kagami?" She ignored his comment all together, darting her attention away from the redhead to the empty street court.

"Just enough." Kagami simply answered then he looked at the sky-bluenette once again. "Aida-senpai's going to kill you for running off." He then shrugged lightly as he noticed that she was unmoving, but he heard her spoke in a soft tone.

"Just tell her I've head home already," She said at last, making him confused. "I have to cool off. Go on ahead. I'll prepare myself for whatever punishment she has in store for me after class next week." The sky-bluenette glanced at the scowling redhead, already used at his 'permanent' expression by now. "I can take care of myself, Bakagami. I'm not that helpless." She lightly teased, chuckling at his groaning in annoyance as she teased him.

But Kagami knew better not to push any more of her buttons today since a lot has happened in a span of one day. The redhead sighed in defeat, raising both hands as if in mock surrender, looking at her then and grinned.

"Ne, Karadai."

"Eh?"

Kamiko then faced him fully, confused.

"We'll beat _them_!"

At first, she couldn't understand what he really meant, but a look of recognition then dawned as she realized then who the _them _that he was talking about. She looked at the redhead who was grinning more and nodded with a small smile.

"_Hai._"

* * *

What she meant about cooling off was to play basketball at the street court in that park. When the redhead then left her, she went into the court, dropping her duffel bag and jersey jacket on the side as the sky-bluenette caught sight of the ball on the corner and went to get it. And from that spot, she glanced at the goal as she positioned herself for a leap, releasing the ball then as it immediately got into the basket.

_From the looks of it, he's not going to initiate into asking about the Uncrowned Kings and even the Generation of Miracles, your original basketball, about the famous Hanzo and Teiko basketball club, and about the strength of the Generation of Miracles and Uncrowned Kings themselves until you do so._

"I know that, Akkiko. I wouldn't blame him for that, but I have a feeling that it was rather early to tell the actual tale behind the formation of the Uncrowned Kings and the Generation of Miracles."

_When are you planning to tell him then? Let's see… never?_

Kamiko ignored Akkiko's mockery as she caught the ball before it hits the fence and dribbled on, facing the basket. She then steadied her breathing as she did the V dribble as she dashed in a flash towards the basket, only halting abruptly at the three-point lane as she leaped, one-hand shooting the ball into the basket then.

She was shooting another once more.

_If he really wants to beat the namely Uncrowned Kings and the Generation of Miracles, he has to understand most about them, if not everything. Remember when you told him that you will guide him? That's how you do it._

To that, she paused midway to the basket, the ball still in her hand.

_-I can sense something, hidden inside you. It has long been there, but it needs you to develop it. I can guide you, but you must be the one to find the answer yourself. That's how I'll make you the best player in Japan.-_

Kamiko then tch'ed at the thought as she angrily tapped the ball against the fence with such speed, unaware of the ball-shaped dent that it left due to too much strength that she induced at her throw.

She couldn't believe that she had nearly forgotten about the promise she made with Kagami on the day they first met, about helping him be the best player in Japan. The fact that she chose him because she saw that potential and most importantly, the passion, that would later surpass that of the Uncrowned Kings and the Generation of Miracles was the reason why she made that promise. Not that he wouldn't be able to surpass her; he can surpass her, there's no doubt, but she pondered over if she was to guide him, to surpass them all, she had to grow with him as well.

"Ne, Akkiko."

_Hm?_

"Do you think I will regret choosing him if all things fail?"

There was silence hovering over the air as she looked up the dark clouds, just then droplets of rain tapped on everything that it could soak themselves into, including her.

_No, you said you saw his potential that would exceed past the doors. I trust you and your decision._

And to that, she smiled.

* * *

"Kagami?"

The redhead was rather startled, nearly jumping out of his skin as the sky-bluenette tapped him on the shoulder by the time it was lunch break as it was already the nest day. He had been in such deep thought that he, not once, paid attention to the class until the lunch bell rang.

What was he thinking about, then?

Well, everything about the Generation of Miracles, the Uncrowned Kings, Kamiko's basketball, the famous Hanzo and Teiko basketball club—the strength of both legendary teams themselves. Just what is basketball to them?

"What the hell?" He groaned in annoyance as he was still not used to Kamiko scaring him like that even though he could sense her. "What do you want, Karadai?"

The sky-bluenette straightened her posture with hands behind her back. "I need to talk to you alone about something." She then turned her heel away from him, making him more confused as per se.

"What _something_?" Kagami blinked as he was watching her movements towards the door and with one look from the sky-bluenette before she was gone was all he needed to know.

Today, she's going to tell him.

* * *

"So? You're going to tell me, then?" Kagami reached the rooftop as he closed the door behind him, catching sight of his female teammate sitting at the bench. It wasn't really windy today, but it wasn't hot either since the rooftop was shaded, making the atmosphere at the rooftop cool.

Kamiko closed her eyes and sighed, finally looking at the redhead, who walked towards her as he took a seat opposite her then. She was spinning the basketball with her forefinger then as she leaned against the fence. "Back when I was cooling off yesterday, I remembered that I haven't really told you the whole story." Kamiko glanced at the gradually slow spinning ball as she accelerated its speed then to continue its flawless spin. "And in order to beat the Uncrowned Kings and the Generation of Miracles, this is how I'll guide you through, for you to get the gist of most of it, if not everything."

Kagami raised his eyebrow curiously at the sky-bluenette as she immediately passed the spinning ball with such force that as he caught it easily, the heat of the ball's spin fractioned against his palms, causing him to yelp in surprise and pain as he blew his hands to ease the pain.

"The actual story on how the formation of the Uncrowned Kings of Hanzo Junior High and the Generation of Miracles of Teiko Middle School came to be. If you want to really understand, then listen carefully." The sky-bluenette said as she fixed her sitting into a cross-legged position, since she was wearing the prescribed Seirin male student pants. "Sei and I grew up practically together, and only the Generation of Miracles knew that we're the closest of friends, and so did Uncrowned Kings in the latter part."

Kagami blinked. "Who's Sei?"

Kamiko sighed and shook her head as she continued. "It was just a few days after we met that we found out that we shared such burning passion for basketball. Every after class back in grade school, Sei and I often spent our time playing rounds of basketball at the nearby court by ourselves." She then turned to face the gym where the court was in shown little in view since the gym doors were open, even as the taller redhead continued to dribble. "At that time, we were around six or seven years old then. That's where we started basketball, and where our love for the game stemmed from."

"Street basketball," Kagami stated and Kamiko nodded.

"Unlike the other prodigies from my former team and his, Sei and I didn't start off playing 'official basketball'. The basketball that we learned is from street basketball. In other words, a game with no rules and no limits. That's where Sei and I both developed our play styles from." The wind then blew through the rooftop, gently brushing their hair and Kamiko sighed lightly.

Kagami was silent for several moments, remembering her play the other day during the practice match against Kaijo. Her play, even as she was injured, unlike the first two quarters, her play became more concentrated, swifter, elegant yet destructive—in sync with her other teammates, even with himself. Though he hasn't seen the other prodigies yet, he had a feeling that her play is one of the most fearsome, if not the only one, on its own.

"I took a look at the _Monthly Basketball Magazine _from Koganei-senpai once," The redhead furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought. "Your column was right next to Akashi, naming you Japan's one of the two basketball frontiers in the history of basketball."

Kamiko was silent for a while before she spoke then. "What made mine similar to Sei's was that our play styles are monsters on their own," she explained. "Both plays utilize in speed and logic, therefore, we stand on equal grounds."

As the 2nd year turned over and she was reaching nearly more than half of her capabilities, she almost always displayed a rather vicious yet elegant play in all her team's matches, and from then on, she was called the 'Raging Demon.'

"Even though we were inseparable, we decided to head to different schools in order to grow on our own, without being distant from each other. As I chose to go to Hanzo because it was near our house—"

" 'Our house' ? What do you mean by that? You live together with Sei?" Kagami's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets, causing the sky-bluenette to roll her eyes.

"Sei's father gave him an apartment to live in as a grade school graduation gift. When I told Sei that I thought of going to school to Hanzo but, well, I was far out of my desired school, he offered—stubbornly offered, if I may add—that I would stay with him until I find my own, which he helped me to find one during the 2nd year." Kamiko noticed Kagami opening his mouth, but she continued then. "His apartment had two bedrooms, surprisingly, so we didn't have to share a bed. Why am I even explaining this to you anyway?" She glared at him, causing him to shrug, motioning her to continue.

"Let's just say both middle schools that we attended separately... their basketball clubs weren't all we expected them to be."

* * *

**_*First Year of Hanzo Juniour High*_**

"_Moooou~!_ Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" Kamiko wailed as she ran down the street with her redhead best friend close behind her, her school bag bumping against her legs as she did so. "Since Hanzo's entrance ceremony is earlier than Teiko's, I'm going to be late for it!"

A bit of roasted hamburger is in her mouth, her hands were busy fiddling on the remaining buttons of her long-sleeved white blouse whilst her sleeves are rolled up since it was hot in the morning, as Akashi held her school bag then to lessen the hassle in her part. Before middle school, she never had the chance to wear a long-sleeved blouse, and her middle school uniform now actually comes with a light red sleeveless vest and a red ribbon tie clip.

Behind her, her best friend looked annoyed. "I'm not responsible for waking your lazy ass up. Whose fault was it staying up late?" Akashi glared.

"Whatever, Sei!" Kamiko groaned in annoyance as they turned around a corner, then successful in buttoning up her vest and fixing her sleeves, as the gates of Hanzo Juniour High came into view.

Like Teiko Middle School as to where Akashi would attend then, Hanzo is a well-known name for their sports clubs, mainly the basketball club and even when Akashi wanted Kamiko to attend the same school together, she refused to, not wanting to 'babysit' him, much to his irritation towards his female best friend.

"_Youkat-ta!_ I'm not late!" She said excitedly as she took note and the many students inside the school grounds. "Okay, now shoo, before girls will take notice you and you might not give me any choice but to drag you out."

The redhead then glared at her, a faint smirk to which he snorted too. "What? Did I sense jealousy in your tone just now?"

To that, Kamiko rolled her eyes as she began to shove him, making him laugh. "You need to get your ears check later, Sei. Now go! It's nearly time!"

Akashi chuckled lightly, adjusting his already wrinkled blazer as he gave her back her school bag. "Drop by at Teiko when you can. I heard that today's is a scouting-for-a-club day in every middle school, so there are no classes for now." He then looked at her. "Just the class placements are given. I'll see you, okay?"

The sky-bluenette face-palmed. "I didn't have to wear this uniform if there weren't any classes today! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

He just shrugged. "You didn't ask." Glancing at her from head to toe, he sighed lightly. "I wouldn't want to miss seeing you in your new uniform though. Looks great on you," the redhead then grinned, earning a playful smack from the said girl.

"Whatever, Sei. I'll see you then!" She grinned at him and he returned it, taking his leave shortly.

Facing the school then, the walls of the school buildings of Hanzo were pristine modern kind of white color. The school buildings were also separated into different sections. One section is meant for the classrooms, then the middle is meant for the sport facilities, while the last is meant for the offices of the faculty and staff.

"I am starting to think if I should have taken up Sei's request to join him in Teiko instead. Man, this school is big," the sky-bluenette whistled as she carefully passed through the crowd and just then the opening ceremony started.

"… Class placements are located just outside the student classroom building! Have a fruitful year, Hanzo freshmen!"

That was the Hanzo principal's last words as she heard screams and cheers from around her, the rest of the students then rushed towards where the class placements are located; thus, the sky-bluenette heaved a heavy sigh though she avoided the shoulder and body bumps as the students rushed.

"I don't know if I could even survive," She wheezed and shakes her head as she was about to reach the classroom building when she bumped into someone, causing her to fall butt-first and groan at the sudden impact. "Ouch! Watch where you're going—"

"S-Sorry! I didn't see you there—oh!"

She then looked up and saw a slender male sporting a light orangish colored short spiky hair who was wearing the prescribed uniform, though missing out the necktie. She noticed as he leaned down to peer into her face, he had a snag tooth on the left corner of his mouth to which it somehow disappeared as he grinned at her.

"Sorry about that, miss." The boy then offered his hand to which she cautiously took to get back to her feet. "Woah, you're not wearing the prescribed skirt that the other girls wear here?" He glanced at her black pants, to which she snorted, busily dusting off her pants and picked her bag up.

"I'm a guy living in a girl's body," She deadpanned, causing him to laugh.

"That sounds rebellious. Oh, the name's Hayama Kotaro," The carrot head faced her fully then whilst his hands are in his pockets as he still was grinning at her.

The sky-bluenette glanced at the carrot head and blinked. "Karadai Kamiko, Hayama-san," she nodded a little.

"Uh…" Kotaro then peeked at the class placements that were plastered all over the notice board, as his hand was stroking his chin playfully, making her giggle inwardly at the adorable sight. "You're in… oh? You're in Chihiro's class." Then his eyes sparkled. "You're right beside my classroom! That's great!"

Kamiko inwardly face-palmed. _'He reminds me so much of a certain blonde.'_ "Ah, Hayama-san—"

"Psssh, call me Kotaro. You're an exception." He added in an afterthought, causing her to shake her head lightly in amusement as she followed behind him closely as he led her to her respective classroom. As they were standing just outside the room, the carrot head then faced her. "After the student-teacher acquaintance, there is this club-scouting happening at the courtyard of the school and it's practically the whole day."

"Ah, my best friend told me about that," Kamiko commented. "There is a basketball club right?"

To that, the carrot head spluttered. "Y-You? Basketball? Really?" He then grinned and slapped her back rather forcefully, causing her to choke on her saliva and cough at the sudden impact. "Never met a girl who loves the sport, much more play. Woo! This is great news! I'll tell Reo-nee, Kiyoshi, and Nebuya right away. See ya later!" In a flash, he ran towards his classroom, leaving her confused but nonetheless, she smiled at his liveliness as she got into her classroom and from there began the introductions.

As she was in her seat right next to the window, it was still not her turn for the introductions, a name "Mayuzumi Chihiro" was voiced out, making her curious to see who the person was as she remembered Kotaro mentioned a Chihiro being in the same class as she is. Then there, a silver-crown male stood up from his seat just two spaces away from her and she glanced, causing her eyes to widen at the sight.

_'H-He looks like Tetsu!' _But what caught her attention the most was his eyes. It was blanker than her younger brother's eyes, and she could see a dark aura radiating from him though he looked like he was the quietest individual in the classroom.

"Mayuzumi Chihiro, 3rd year. Please take care of me."

When he bowed for a closing, several girls then squealed in their seats as they were admiring him at 'how cute he looks', causing Kamiko to inwardly gag and shudder at the sight as it was her turn to introduce herself then as her name was called next after the homeroom teacher briefly explained the reason why he's the only one of higher year in their class.

"Hello! Karadai Kamiko, 1st year. Please take care of me, everyone!" Kamiko tilted her head and smiled gently as she bowed.

_"W-Woah, she's pretty!"_

_"She must be a rebel! Look at her uniform!"_

She heard the boys whisper in delight as they were checking her out whilst the some of the girls were sending daggers at her sudden popularity.

_Well, that's what you get for being such an ugly wuss, Kami._

Kamiko heard Akkiko's complimentary insult and giggled softly as she got back to her seat then.

_'Thanks for the unwanted insult, Akkiko.'_

* * *

After the introductions were finished, the teacher then announced that they are going to hold formal classes the next day, leaving cheers as the teacher left the students. The sky-bluenette just passed Kotaro's classroom when she was grabbed by the wrist, causing her to yelp in surprise and on instinct hitting the stranger with her book with such impact that she sent the person flying and had literally disrupted the chairs inside the said classroom.

"M-Mo! Miko-chan! You're so mean! It's me, Kotaro!"

Hearing a familiar voice, she turned to see that it was really the carrot head who was grunting in pain as he tried to stand up from the overturned chairs and tables. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know—"

He dismissed her apology and grinned as he was finally up and about and she noticed a medium-length raven crown who smiled at her and beside him was a gorilla-looking man who had a permanent scowl in his face. Kotaro noticed this as he pulled her over to introduce her to his friends.

"Oh, Miko-chan! This is Mibuchi Reo, one I call Reo-nee," The carrot head began the introductions as she looked back at the raven crown and nodded with a smile and soft 'Hi.' "Then, that's… Nebuya Eikichi," He then leaned in her ear and said, "A glutton, if I say so myself." To that, a chair was thrown at him as he easily dodged the throw and glared at the gorilla-looking guy. "What was that for?!"

Nebuya just tch'ed and resumed his staring at the window, making her sigh.

"Where's—"

"Reo-saaaaan! We've got new freshmen basketball players! Where—" Another guy then without looking as he came dashing into the room, tripped, bumping onto the sky-bluenette as they both crashed into the floor with the guy on top of her. Luckily, the stranger was able to lessen the pressure of his upper body weight as he supported it with his arms, wincing at the slight pain on his right knee. "S-Shimat-ta!" Kamiko, on the other hand, wasn't really hurt, not shaken even as she opened her eyes, finding her face so close to the stranger's face, which she noted was rather cute even as his eyes were still closed.

"O-Oi! Miko-chan! Are you okay? KIYOSHI! GET UP, YOU BASTARD! I'VE ALREADY HAD MY EYES ON HER FIRST!" Kotaro yelled, stomping like kid throwing a tantrum and to that, the guy, Kiyoshi, snapped his eyes open, realizing then the person he bumped into was a girl and that their faces were just centimeters from each other, got up to his feet then and helped her up.

"Awkward…" Reo mused lightly.

"S-Sorry about that!" The taller male grinned sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head, and she chuckled.

"It's fine. Ah, I'm Karadai Kamiko. Nice to meet you…?"

Kiyoshi noticed that he hasn't introduced himself yet so he did. "Kiyoshi Teppei, 2nd year. Wait, Karadai Kamiko? You're the one Kotaro mentioned, the one who was looking for a basketball club?"

Kamiko nodded. "Yep, that's me. Are there more slots left?"

The taller male took a glance at his clip board and nodded. "I've already listed you here, don't worry." He then looked at her and grinned, causing her to blink in confusion. "The tryouts would be around later in the afternoon to be held at the first gym, since scouting for the clubs would last the whole morning."

The carrot head then wheezed for a moment then coughed. "Thank you for ignoring me, Miko-chan!" He crossed his arms as he pouted, as she was amused at the sight. The raven crown, Mibuchi Reo, walked towards them and wrapped his arm around her shoulders playfully. "I'm looking forward to play with you, Miko-chan!"

* * *

_From Sei:_

_Kamiko, bad news. Where are you?_

_To Sei:_

_I'll be at the basketball tryouts at the first gym about now, Seijuro. _

As the afternoon went by, Kotaro stuck with Kamiko then as they both walked towards the first gym with bags on their shoulders. The doors of the first gym were all opened, showing the basketball court with shiny floors and the goals. There were even several students in Hanzo's basketball club's light red and black jerseys. There were even two tables inside the gym by the side, where Kiyoshi was busy taking down the names of the new club members.

But that wasn't all that caught Kamiko and Kotaro's attention.

They were more concerned with the game that is currently happening on the courts—if you could even call it as that. One team seemed to be made up of the current regulars on the basketball team—judging by their light red and black basketball jerseys. The other team seemed to be made up of freshmen in different sports attires.

One of the freshmen was on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain, whilst another player was by his side, concern written all over his face. There were pissed looks on the faces of several students standing around, but no one thought of standing up against the seniors.

"What's going on?" Kotaro asked a nearby freshman with dark hair and thick dark eyebrows, just leisurely sitting down on the bench then.

The teen looked at him oddly, as he looked back at the court. "They asked for a friendly match with the seniors," he replied with a faint smirk. "They're actually pretty good, even managing to get at least twenty points ahead of the seniors." He lazily pointed towards the scoreboard where both Kotaro and Kamiko saw the scores on the board: 38-15, with the freshmen team in the lead. "Apparently, the seniors didn't take it very well—such delight to see—and thus, resorted to foul play."

It sent shivers into her spine as she briefly glanced at the smirking freshman at the bench in his sports attire. _'I don't like him already.'_

_He doesn't like you too, Kami. Be careful._

"While this is currently happening, why didn't anyone get the teachers?" She asked, and the raven crown looked at her, as if she was stupid then, and shrugged.

"The current regulars of the first string that they are playing against now are sons coming from distinguished families. From very important families who had helped contribute for the completion of this school. That's why no one had the guts to stand against them. One small act and they go crying to their mommies and daddies." The raven crown snickered. "I seriously doubt that their parents were even aware their sons' behavior in the basketball club."

Her hands curled into fists as she looked back at the seniors on the court, with Kotaro unaware of the terrifying aura that was radiating around the sky-bluenette. **She was really pissed now**.

One of the seniors, apparently the captain, glowered over the apparently shaking fallen freshman, an arrogant smirk plastered on his lips with a basketball in his hand. "Well? Can't get up? He snickered, along with the rest of the regulars.

"No fair! That's playing dirty!" A student yelled.

"Silence!" A regular, who was standing beside the captain, roared. "You freshmen should know your place! No one dares to go against us!"

"If you think you're so good, then have a taste of this!" Kamiko was about to step in as the captain growled, throwing the ball in his hand straight at the fallen freshman as the smaller boy closed his eyes tightly in a panic, for several seconds, he didn't feel the ball hit him. Surprised, he opened his eyes, finding the ball just centimeters away from his face but then he noticed the ball was held up by a—

"N-N-Nijimura-san of Teiko Middle School?" The captain was bewildered.

The other surrounding students whispered to their friends.

"E-Eh?! Nijimura Shuzo?!"

"Why is a Teiko regular doing here in Hanzo?!"

"No way!"

Kamiko and Kotaro's eyes widened a fraction, whilst the raven smirking crown was still on the bleachers, watching the scene. Kiyoshi raised a brow at the dark haired male who was standing in front of the captain, whilst Reo and Nebuya were silently watching as well.

The captain glared at apparently one of the most feared basketball Teiko new regulars, only to be just included in the first string that day, as he is standing protectively in front of the cowering freshman, as another player on the freshman team quickly took him away to one side, both of them nodding gratefully to Nijimura. They looked startled however, at his sudden appearance from out of nowhere. The dark haired male paid no heed at the retreating freshmen as he was staring at the captain then, whilst holding onto the ball in front of them.

_'Nijimura? Why is the name familiar...' _the sky-bluenette thought as she stared at the 'intruder's' broad back as the dark haired male was still facing the captain with a disapproving look whilst holding the ball.

"Ah... Toji-kun, what a surprise! I came by under a new friend's request to check up on another... friend who is somewhere here..." Nijimura said thoughtfully as he scanned the crowd, briefly stopping on the sky-bluenette before turning his attention back to the apparently shaking captain then. "My, I was actually heading towards the Director of the Board to have a good chat with her when I saw the ruckus in the gym," he made a disapproving noise as he began to spin the ball on his fore finger whilst the captain's eyes widened like saucers. "At least, I got something to report instead of idling chatting with her." There was a knowing glint in Nijimura's eyes as he smirked with the rest of the regulars were practically shaking.

_'Friend? Who...?' _Kamiko looked from her left to right through the crowd. _'I thought Sei was coming?'_

The watching freshmen cheered him on.

"You said it!"

"Preach!"

"You're not even from here, Nijimura-san! How will you make the Board believe you anyway?" A regular within the group wore a smug grin as Nijimura looked towards him with a raised brow. "Our parents helped contribute to this school! There's no way they'll have your word over ours or even our parents!"

To that, Nijiruma let out a light chuckle, confusing everyone around him. "You think money is the only thing to bribe with?" He sported a bored look now as he walked towards the regular who retorted just now and the latter took a step back at the dark-haired male's towering height as Nijimura glowered down the Hanzo regular with narrowed eyes. "I have ways. I'll simply tell them that all of you have been resorting to rough play and needed to be dismissed." He said bluntly.

As the rest of the regulars, including the Hanzo captain looked ready to kill the guy there and then, the dark-haired male added. "You'll only tarnish your names and the name of this school's basketball club if you think of beating me right now." Out of the blue, the spinning ball hit the captain square to his face, resulting to being thrown towards the wall and knocked out dead. The rest of the regulars shook in fear as they faced the dark-haired male then who was casually stuffing his hands on his pockets. "What you sow, you reap. I believe I made myself clear?" He gave each of the regular a glare and they all nodded frantically, scurrying to help their knocked-out captain to the infirmary whilst the crowd made sounds of relief, surprise and awe.

As he noticed them disappearing to the infirmary, he lightly scratched the back of his neck and gave a small nervous smile. "Now that wasn't as bad was it? Oh right, the Director..." Nijimura blinked confusingly and without paying any heed to the whispers of the crowd, he turned away towards the entrance whilst calling out to the sky-bluenette. "Girl with the blue hair, I think you might want to tag along!"

* * *

Kagami was deep in thought then, silently wishing that if only he was there, he would have punched those guys' lights out, seniors or not. How dare they use basketball as like a reputation? A tool to hurt people?

"So what happened after that?" The redhead asked.

Kamiko was quiet for several moments. "Shu-kun went to speak to the Director like he told the regulars. Of course, I tagged along, wanting to know the outcome of the chitchat with the Board and there, he spared no details from what happened during the tryouts."

Kagami sweat dropped. "And they took his word over theirs?"

Kamiko gave a small smile. "Unexpectedly and thankfully, there was evidence of what really happened. There were witnesses; some of the freshmen who were present during the incident."

The redhead frowned as he placed the ball then beside him.

"Nijimura Shuzo, huh?" Kagami furrowed his eyebrows. "Anyway, so did the forming of a new varsity team started from there?"

"Something like that." Kamiko answered. "After witnessing that, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. With the help of Shu-kun, Sei, and the rest of those who took interest in joining our... 'cause'," she made an air quote. "We decided to reform the basketball clubs then."

* * *

**_*First year in Hanzo Junior High*_**

"So you're Sei-kun's best friend, Karadai Kamiko-san, right?"

Nijimura managed to convince the Hanzo Board of Directors to dismiss the old basketball team and close the club until someone would petition to open it again and make a new team. Kamiko was walking beside the Teiko student towards the school grounds now as it was already past 4 in the afternoon.

"Yes. Oh, Miko is fine, if you will," the sky-bluenette gave a small smile, causing the dark-haired male to nod curtly.

"I think you should hold a petition to open the club again if you want to play basketball that badly, you know."

To that, Kamiko looked at Nijimura confusingly as the dark-haired male glanced at her with a careless grin and tilted his head curiously. "Well, do you want to play basketball that badly?"

The sky-bluenette nodded slowly and the dark-haired male ruffled her hair gently to which she made a disapproving snort and he chuckled at the sound. "I dealt with the Teiko regulars the same way but Sei-kun handled it from there. I wondered what he is doing at the moment." He shook his head and the sky-bluenette smiled faintly in amusement. "Better hope when I get back that he's not killing anyone. Yet."

"I was disappointed that he didn't drop by today, but now I know that he's handling some unfinished business, I guess I'll leave him off the hook," Kamiko said, dusting her basketball shorts then as they both stopped by the gate of her school.

Nijimura looked towards the direction towards his own school then back at the sky-bluenette, noticing a group of male teenagers by the first gym that seemed to be looking for the sky-bluenette then. "Well, I might as well not keep you. You've got a petition to do and a group of interesting players to back you up on reforming the basketball club." The dark-haired male grinned as he gestured at something behind her, confusing the sky-bluenette. The sky-bluenette, still with a look of confusion, looked behind her and noticed Kiyoshi, Reo, Nebuya, Kotaro, and Makoto walked towards her then back at Nijimura, who was still smiling at his spot. "I hope this isn't the last time we see each other, Miko-chan. Good luck in reforming the club!" He reached out to playfully pinch her cheek which made her scowl and slapped his hand away, making him chuckle. "Because you're cute, wish us luck on reforming our own basketball club too!"

* * *

"So you made the petition," Kagami deduced and the sky-bluenette nodded.

"It got busy after the Board decided to approve our petition, as we were arranging tryouts to determine the positioning strings for the other members. When we finally stabilized the club, we decided to cut loose the remaining seniors who were in connection with the former regulars. At the time, the club didn't have a coach and manager so Sei proposed that we share one manager for the time being or until we find our own."

"Isn't that like… not legal to do that sort? To share a manager?" Kagami stared at her in confusion.

Kamiko shook her head. "It was only for temporary purposes, but even when we found our own coach and manager then, Sei's manager tend to stick with me since in a certain point in the first year that she became my first female best friend then."

Kagami inwardly face-palm. A female manager, huh.

"Satsuki knows her stuff. She was the one who drew up our training regimes, diet plans, and drills and it was completely different from the ones she made for Sei's then, to be fair. She's no ordinary manager, the fact that she was the brainiac behind Teiko's victory over Hanzo in the 3rd year."

Kagami grunted. "Well, none of you seemed normal, for example, your blonde friend back at Kaijo High," he shook his head as he said that. "So the club stabilized after that then." He commented, earning a nod from Kamiko. He was deep in thought again as he remembered something that the blonde said back at the practice match about Kamiko being his former instructor. "Say, Karadai. Back at the practice match, Kise thanked you for being his instructor… How did that happen?" The redhead took a quick glance at the sky-bluenette, who was silent then.

"He's…" Kamiko then massaged her forehead as she tried to recall. "Since 5th grade, he's been my classmate then. He tends to stick with me a lot before since I made him do so because some 5th graders just wouldn't stop picking on him. Sei didn't know him then since we're in separate classrooms; the redhead in the Special A section, whilst I ended up on the A section with Ryota." She sighed as she thought of that year. "During that year, I started entering the street basketball matches against adults then and Ryota was tagging along as per usual. Sei knew about my entering those matches, but he didn't stop me since he's got his hands full in dealing with his mother's passing."

Kagami looked at her, intently listening, to which Kamiko was inwardly grateful then as she continued on. "At some point during my matches, while Ryota was watching me with those eager eyes as I was playing, it was then I realized that he wanted to play basketball as well. While Sei was busy every after class, Ryota and I would hang out at the street court then and it was when I started teaching him the street ball's basics." She shook her head. "He caught on really well, even I was surprised that he was able to unconsciously copy some of the adult opponents' stances and play styles that I've played against."

"But it wasn't til' he was a 2nd year in middle school when you taught him the basics of his Perfect Copy ability then?" Kagami frowned and Kamiko nodded.

"Back in 5th grade, I wasn't really sure then how he was able to do that. That's why it took a tad bit long before I was able to come up with such to teach him the basics of his ability. Back in middle school, before he transferred to Teiko, he would often drop by at Hanzo's first gym, where we held the drills and warm-ups then. He was so excited when he found me and asked me to be his formal instructor, to which I first thought was rather absurd since I was only a 1st year just as he was."

"But then, it made me remember the fun he had back in grade school when he played basketball with me. So I agreed to be his instructor and apparently, beside my team's tantrums." She chuckled lightly as she recalled that day.

* * *

**_*In the near end of First Year at Hanzo Junior High*_**

"Captain! Who's he?" The carrot head, Kotaro, gestured at Kise, who was in his sports attire as he was making rounds in the basket by himself, as per order by Kamiko.

"Grade school best friend, Kise Ryota." Kamiko sighed as she turned her attention from the blonde to the carrot head then back at the box containing wristbands and waistbands, picking it up then when Mibuchi came in to hold it up for her.

"What's he doing here then, Miko-chan? I mean, is he allowed to even practice here when he's not even a student here in the first place?" Reo asked, placing the box on the nearby table, where Kamiko had instructed him to place then.

"He asked me to be his formal instructor," She simply answered, even as Kiyoshi walked in, already in his sports attire. "At first, I was against it, but Ryota was practically begging me to teach him since back in his middle school, there wasn't even a basketball club." She continued as she was doing arm stretching then when Kiyoshi walked towards them.

"Oh! Is he new?" Kiyoshi grinned whilst Kotaro was frowning.

"Captain's best friend from another middle school."

"Ah? He's practicing here?"

"Apparently, there's no basketball club back in his middle school. I wouldn't want to know how he found lady captain here," It was Reo then who spoke and shrugged lightly as he faced at the sky-bluenette. "What are the drills for today, Miko-chan?"

Kamiko was checking over her clip board then nodded. "Reo, Kotaro, and Kiyoshi will have to work on the dribbling then, 10 rounds. Let's double the usual laps around the gym. We'll have to increase our stamina with these," She then gestured at the opened box. "We should be able to handle it well enough by now to help increase our speed as well. Nebuya is included, though he will be concentrating at the drills needed to be a good Power Forward." The sky-bluenette then glanced at Hanamiya, who was silently drawing on the white board: all the possible attack patterns and how to use them in their advantage. "Hanamiya," the frowning raven crown looked up from the white board to her with a neutral expression. "You'll also be doing the drills with the others, okay?" To that, he only nodded as he went back to his strategic planning and the sky-bluenette gestured them to get the recommended waist bands and wrist bands for them to precede their training.

"Mikocchi!" She heard the blonde called out for her, turning her attention from her players to her blonde best friend, who was running towards her with the ball tucked on his side. "Won't you be training right now? Since your teammates are doing their respective drills then?" He tilted his head to one side as he asked her.

"I'll be training then once I'm done teaching you for today." And to that, he did a fist-pump in the air, causing her to roll her eyes as she managed a small amused smile at this and tapped the ball then from him, startling him as he realized that the ball was gone and is currently being held captive in her hands as she was already behind him.

"That's rule 34," She pointed out, confusing the blonde teen then. "Never ever get distracted by your opponent, even if he's your closest friend outside the court." To that, the blonde groaned.

"Really, Mikocchi? How many rules are even there?!"

"Well… I wouldn't really know," she lightly shrugged, earning a playful drill on her head from Ryota, as she squirmed from his grip. "R-Ryota! Not the hair!" And he happily obliged, as he retracted his arms from Kamiko then.

"Better teach me good, Mikocchi! It's going to be so much fun playing with you again!"

* * *

Kagami twitched in annoyance at how the blonde can be irritating back in middle school. How did Kamiko manage to keep up with Kise?

"So, when 2nd year turned over, he finally transferred to Teiko and joined Sei's team eventually… did your teaching him ended by then?"

Kamiko glanced at the redhead and shook her head. "No, I was still teaching him even though he's already earned his way to Teiko's first string regulars. He was too stubborn to let me go, so I continued teaching him then and there were times that I would drop by at Teiko after my trainings with my team just to teach Ryota. Fortunately, Sei was surprised when he found out that Ryota and I knew each other, so he just let me use half the gym to personally train Ryota whenever I'd come by."

"So you knew the rest of Akashi's teammates by then?"

"Yes, I was surprised when Sei told me that my brother played during the match between the first years and the regulars, but eventually, he dropped out of the club first before the official start of the new basketball club because of family reasons; and where Ryota eventually became a first string regular."

Kagami spluttered. "Y-You have a brother?"

Kamiko looked at him weirdly. "A younger half-brother, Kuroko Tetsuya. If you were friends with him, you'll be spending the rest of your life as per scared shitless since he lacks presence more than I do." She said that, sounding proud of her brother, causing Kagami to twitch.

"Gah! I'm good with you already! I don't need another phantom to scare the living shit out of me!" The redhead groaned, earning a hearty laugh from the sky-bluenette.

"It's fine. You'll be meeting him in person during the Inter High preliminaries. He'll be visiting from America."

Kagami face-palmed then suddenly Kamiko's face turned grim as she turned her attention towards the now-gray clouds that hovered the area then. _"But it didn't end from there by the time third year turn over."_


	11. Chapter 8

**/in the duration of five days from the latest update I made on this story, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. IT made 701 views and 300+ visitors in just five days! This truly made up for my dull day and as a reward, here is the next chapter! I'm not actually supposed to update yet, but this- the views and visitors- the reviews and favorites and follows- I can't even. THIS IS IT. THE NEXT SHORT CHAPTER BEFORE I SLEEP. DON'T BLAME ME ON HOW SHORT THIS WOULD BE. **

**Lovelots,**

**-DJ **

* * *

**_*Third Year at Hanzo Junior High*_**

_From Ryota:_

_Ne, Mikocchi! I'm at the photo shoot today. We could train after at Teiko's gym around 7pm then? (=3=)_

_To Ryota: _

_I wouldn't want to be in your way. We could do it tomorrow._

_From Ryota:_

_Nooooo! I'm fine! I'll manage. I insist, Mikocchi, please!_

_To Ryota:_

_Okay, okay, blonde! I'll be there by then. See you! _

_From Ryota:_

_Yay! I wubs chu, Mikocchi! You're the best! (^/3/^)d_

To that, Kamiko closed her phone then, slipping it into her duffel bag as she was resting on the bench from her tedious training.

It was already past 5pm and she was the only one in the gym since the rest had gone home ahead after their respective drills. So far, she saw the vast improvements within her team from the first day that they were formed as a team at the first year until today. It has been nearly three years since then and their coach was more than pleased to see that as the only girl and Captain of the Hanzo basketball club, the sky-bluenette has been well keeping her players in check then.

She recalled the talk she had with their coach then just before she finished training.

_"__Kamiko-san, should you tell them that we'll be up against Teiko in the National championships?" Hanzo's basketball team coach, Ittoki Kuso, asked as she was standing by the sidelines while Kamiko was doing her rounds in the basket._

_The sky-bluenette dribbled then as she heard her question then shoots the ball into the goal, successfully getting it in. "No. I don't want them to think differently then, now that I noticed that they're stronger because of the training regimes and drills that Satsu drew out for us." _

_"__If they did, they'll start skipping practices and it might come to a point that they'll take the sport for granted?"_

_Kamiko paused after her… 99__th__ throw as she was thinking over her coach's concluded question. The sky-bluenette then glanced at their coach and sighed as she turned her attention back to the basket, positioning herself for a three-point shot. "That's for certain, Kuso-san. Once they'll take the sport for granted, that's when they'll hate it as well and I couldn't bear to see them hate something such as basketball." _

_Then there goes the 100__th__ throw._

It was true that she decided not to tell her team about their upcoming match against the rising Generation of Miracles from Teiko Middle School—Akashi's team, in fact. In order to keep them in line, she had to keep training them, even it would mean beyond their limits, but then… as much as she hates to admit it, she's already noticed a change in each of her teammate's play, except in fact in Kiyoshi's play. The burning passion that was once present during the first year is now dimly-lit then by the time their team still secured the top in the Nationals during their second year.

The sky-bluenette sighed lightly as she gulped down water from her training water jug then, with her back against the wall then. Suddenly aware of her surroundings, her attention turned towards the figure standing by the half-open gym door, realizing that it was Kiyoshi then, who just grinned and walked towards her.

"Kamiko."

She faced her attention to the empty dimly-lit court. "Teppei."

The taller brunette stopped just shy away from the bench, sitting on the good part of the edge as Kamiko was occupying more than half of the bench. Kiyoshi then leaned forward, like in crouching position as he stared at the empty court as well.

"I thought you weren't supposed to be released from the hospital."

It was Kamiko then who broke a rather comfortable silence between two friends. The taller brunette briefly glanced at the tired-looking sky-bluenette and sighed lightly.

Back at the Nationals during their second year and before Kiyoshi would be graduating from middle school, Hanamiya, however, started relying on foul play then, injuring the taller brunette's lower leg in the process. The worse thing was, it happened right before their captain's eyes and she wasn't able to stop it in time. Only Kiyoshi noticed that Kamiko has been blaming herself for what happened to him.

"I wanted to see how you were. It's not nice to leave a girl all alone in a lone gym, especially when it's almost night time," he said that with a small pout, causing her to look at his direction.

"I'm fine. Being alone helps me to think better."

"And thus, resulting to over-fatigue because of over thinking a lot," Kiyoshi pointed out and Kamiko knew he was right, but she couldn't help but think over the _most _possible outcome when the changes in her team becomes evident then, even without her really realizing it. She wiped her forehead with the towel that was hanging around her neck then and heaved a sigh.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Teppei-kun." Her voice was barely audible then since she was too tired from her training today and Kiyoshi just smiled as he passed onto her a candy, to which she accepted.

"You know, I'm not the only one worried. They are worried about you too, though they don't show it much, but believe me, they are worried about you." The taller brunette knitted his eyebrows together as if in deep thought. "Worried that you're overworking yourself more after we secured the top once again in the previous Nationals, despite the fact that we all have the same drills and training regimes." To that, he straightened his posture then, only to lean against the wall like Kamiko. "What's worrying you, Kamiko?"

She widened her eyes for a split second there. For nearly three years, she's often wondered how Kiyoshi, aside from Akashi and Momoi, can read her when Mibuchi, Hayama, Nebuya, and even Hanamiya couldn't. Maybe because she's closest to Kiyoshi then when Akashi's not around, or maybe because she can talk to the taller brunette about nearly everything, or maybe… just his mere presence alone helps to calm her down.

"I'm worried about the future…" Kamiko said at last, causing the taller brunette to look at her with a raised brow. "I'm worried about the coming time when all of them would come to hate basketball. Just thinking about it was enough to break my heart." She stared up the ceiling as she continued. "It's worrying me a lot more as soon as I noticed now dimly-lit passion in their plays during the Nationals back at second year. The delight in crushing our opponents' passion to play basketball, dismantling their will to the point when they'll come to hate to basketball as well…" she shook her head in sadness. "When I thought that I was keeping them all in line the whole time…" She covered her eyes then with her right arm. "I can't believe I was so stupid!"

Kiyoshi was silent as he listened to her the whole time. Fortunately, she wasn't the only one who saw the slight changes in their fellow teammates. He noticed it too. It wasn't clear as day yet and he's sure not any of them has realized that in themselves, but there's no doubt that it will be as evident in the near future.

The taller brunette's chest ached then when she said that she was so worried that all of them would come to hate basketball and she was punishing herself for it, even though it wasn't her fault that they're slowly changing.

**Changing, evolving for the worst.**

Mibuchi and Hayama, even Nebuya had admitted that Kamiko has been the best captain and instructor in the history of Hanzo basketball club, and it's true. She looks out for her teammates more than herself and to show that she really cares for them, she goes hard on them through the warm ups and drills. She's been patient with them, going with them step-by-step until they completely understand the process of it, making sure that they learn everything that they need to, making sure that they all reach their individual potential. She had never raised her voice at anyone, not even when Nebuya and Hayama were fooling around a little too much for her liking, and not even when she was really pissed off. She might be the only girl in an all-boys club, but she's highly respected by all of the basketball players from first to the third string even after the display she made against the former basketball captain.

"Don't you think that we're slowly becoming the old team; the team that you all helped to demolish because of their rough play?" She spoke once more in a soft whisper, breaking him from his thoughts as he glanced at her again. "Don't you think that we might just be the same as the old one?"

To that, the taller brunette shook his head lightly. "There are things that you can handle, but this… them… how they play basketball… it's something only they can handle themselves. Even if you wanted to do it for them, it's not going to work." He scratched his neck then. "Back when we were still stabilizing our club, you told them to figure out what they lack that was so important thing for a basketball player and if they didn't, you're going to end the club in a heartbeat." Kiyoshi laughed as he recalled that fondest memory he had. "They thought you weren't serious about ending the club, but you almost did, really. If you only saw their faces when I told them that you're already in office of the school board for a formal permission to close the basketball club…" He shook his head, amused, causing her to smile faintly as she was also recalling that memory. "They all ended up in the presence of the entire school board when they realized what they really lack as a basketball player. It was then when they ended up telling the school board that they don't want to close the club because…"

_"__Ma'am! Please don't shut down the basketball club!" It was Kotaro crying and Kamiko turned to face him—the four of them, actually. The older-looking female, who was in fact the Director of the School Board turned her attention from Kamiko to the carrot head. _

_"__Miss Karadai here reasoned to why shutting the basketball club down is necessary," The director leaned against her chair as he eyes were still on the four boys. She then glanced at the sky-bluenette, who was calmly standing in front of her. "She wouldn't want to continue stabilizing the club if she feels like the new varsity team might end up like the demolished team sooner or later. So in order not to reach that stage, she filed a report…" The director leaned forward as she shuffled on the papers in front of her until she found the needed paper then. " 'My team lacked the most important thing for a basketball player. I don't want to continue the club when the thing that I am looking for in them, the first string regulars, isn't present.' " From the paper, the director looked back at the four boys. "Have you figured it out what that most important thing that Miss Karadai was talking about?"_

_To that, Kotaro and Hanamiya glanced at Eikichi, then Eikichi to Reo and the taller raven crown sighed and spoke then. "… Passion," Reo said softly, a soft look entering his eyes and Kamiko raised an eyebrow, as just the director did as well. _

_Kotaro looked at the director then to the sky-bluenette with a smile. "The love for the game. For basketball. It's the most important thing… for a basketball player."_

_Kamiko smiled gently then while the director, even the rest of the school board was listening and Eikichi gruffed and grunted, as it was his turn to speak. "Maybe we already knew the answer when we all saw you and Kiyoshi playing at the first gym the other night." _

_Kamiko faced them fully then as the director leaned forward, looking interested now; so does the rest of the school board. "You were all there?" she asked and all of them nodded._

_"__We saw… the love for the game that you both had," Hanamiya admitted and the sky-bluenette was surprised at this, since this is the raven crown whom she disliked most but respected his skills nonetheless. _

_"__You refused to allow us to practice so we had to stay back and watch the second and third string players play then. The smiles and laughter as the second string players played against the third string players for the fun of the game. The grins that Kiyoshi had whenever he plays with second strings and even with Kamiko," Kotaro added then, earning an appreciative nudge from Reo. "The proud look in the manager's eyes whenever she helps out in the trainings and drills; the look that you… the captain, had whenever you scored a basket." Kamiko smiled and Reo quipped._

_"__The passion… that each of you had for the game. You love the game. That's why you play it." _

_Kamiko nodded and faced the director, who had a smile on her face. "It seems that they understand it now," The director said and Kamiko agreed. "I guess it's settled then," The older woman briefly looked at each of the school board's faces as they all nodded in agreement and appreciation. "Miss Karadai, as named Captain, please look after them. They're going to need it more than ever. I don't want to see the old team in them."_

_The sky-bluenette, upon hearing this, smiled, unaware that her eyes were already brimming in happy tears. Kotaro rushed to hug her, more like glomping her then, then Reo followed to hug her as well. Nebuya and Hanamiya just stood by, with a small smile plastered in their faces then and the school board were chuckling at the sight before them, amused._

_"__I won't let you down, Director! Thank you so much!"_

_The director just smiled. "No. It's thanks to you, Miss Karadai."_

"The fact that I had to go to visit the school board to make them realize that I was really serious on shutting down the club if they don't cooperate, despite already accumulated second and third string players," Kamiko shook her head lightly in amusement. "And that's when the club really started from then."

To that, Kiyoshi grinned as he faced the basket then. "Well, it's similar to this situation, Kamiko, but I don't think you need to threaten them like before," that made the sky-bluenette giggled weakly and he continued. "They're growing already, without any of us realizing it. Grown enough to figure out what is really wrong with them." Kiyoshi then shrugged. "When push comes to shove, you'll have to force them to open their eyes."

"It's not going to be pretty, that's certain," Kamiko breathed, feeling her phone vibrate then. She sat up then or rather in a crouching position as she took her phone out, seeing that it was from Kise.

_From Ryota:_

_Where are you, Mikocchi? I decided to come here at Hanzo instead! Are you in the first gym as usual?"_

To that, she sighed and flipped her phone closed; slipping it her bag and Kiyoshi noticed this.

"Your other half?" Kiyoshi teased, causing her to roll her eyes as she playfully punched his shoulder, causing the latter to comically rub his shoulder with a mocked pained expression whilst a grin threatening to grace his lips.

"He's been wishing that since 5th grade. He's a million years away to even court me, as Teiko's captain said so." Kamiko answered as she was picking up her bag then and stood up, as Kiyoshi stood up with her as well.

"Well, he's one lucky guy when that time would come," Kiyoshi grinned and to that, Kamiko blushed, causing her to look annoyed at his unnecessary comment.

"Whatever, Kiyoshi. Ryota said he's already here, blinding looking for the first gym. Stupid blonde." The sky-bluenette glanced at Kiyoshi, who was still sheepishly grinning at her, being the first one to turn his heel to leave her.

"I guess, I'll leave you two train then. In the meantime, I'll eat candies in the hospital," The taller brunette made a wave at her as he turned his attention towards the door, catching sight of the familiar figure standing by the door way. Kise Ryota.

"Oh! Mikocchi! Ah, Kiyoshicchi!" The blonde happily walked towards them with a wave and Kamiko sighed, glancing at the taller brunette.

"Kiyoshi, don't push yourself okay? No candies for you the next time I'll visit you," She warned the taller brunette, earning a mock surrender and a grin from Kiyoshi.

"Yeah, yeah. I won't." From the sky-bluenette, he turned to look at Kise with a grin. "Look after her okay?" Without the need to hear his answer, the taller brunette just messed with the blonde's hair playfully then left them alone, causing the blonde to pout as he fixes his hair while mumbling with 'Mou! Kiyoshicchi messed up my hair!'

As soon as Kiyoshi left them alone, Kise blinked as he faced Kamiko, only to be greeted with an all-too-gleeful-looking sky-bluenette with a ball on hand.

"Okay, Ryota. Are you ready to die tonight?"

* * *

Kagami blinked. "No one but you and this Kiyoshi guy noticed the changes in your team then?" The redhead shook his head in somewhat dismay. "So it really started during the Nationals in your second year."

Kamiko nodded and the redhead continued. "You nearly shut down the stabilizing club when your first string regulars haven't had given you the reason why they play basketball… That's… wow." Kagami blinked in amazement.

The sky-bluenette shrugged lightly. "If I haven't done that, they won't learn." She leaned against the fence once again.

Kagami frowned then. "About Kiyoshi… why did he end up in the hospital?"

Kamiko blinked as the memories from _that _day resurfaced.

_"__Kiyoshi! Stay under the net. Guard it! Kotaro, keep Number 5, 9, and 14's attention on you while Reo makes his shots. Hanamiya, you know what to do. Do what you can! I'll help stir Number 4 and 17's attention from Hanamiya, then!"_

_"__Miko-chan! Look out!"_

_"__H-Hanamiya! You bastard! You've injured Kiyoshi! Was that even necessary?!"_

_"… __It's always been part of the plan, Karadai. To win this year's Nationals."_

"Karadai?" Kagami voiced out.

"Hanamiya Makoto was our analytical specialist, more into deducing all the possible attack patterns and to use it to the team's advantage. That's why we all somehow rely on his near-to-perfection attack analysis on each game." Kamiko said at last, causing the redhead to be confused though he was listening then. "But then, just right under my nose, as Hanamiya was about to steal the ball, he ended up injuring Kiyoshi, who was guarding the net at that time." She shook her head, trying to shake away the awful memory away. "We won the Nationals in the second year, but it seemed that it was all wasted effort. The rest of the team and even our coach rushed Kiyoshi to the hospital to get him admitted, rehabilitated." She straightened her legs then, already aching at sitting cross-legged too long and stretched them. "It was never the same after second year."

Kagami glanced at Kamiko, who looked as if she was staring into space then.

"Ne, Karadai," To that, the sky-bluenette looked up to see a thinking Kagami then. "When third year turned over, what happened? Did you still visit Teiko as if nothing really happened?"

"What happened indeed…" Kamiko repeated, confusing the redhead.

"I might have thought to visit Teiko back then…"

* * *

**_*In the second half of the Third Year at Teiko Middle School*_**

_'__I wonder how Sei and the others are doing. I haven't seen them since the start of the third year,' _Kamiko thought to herself as she was on her way to Teiko Middle School then, with two bags from Maji's on hand one afternoon.

She's been busy training, despite the fact when Kise still came by to either check up on her or train with her then. Ever since her conversation with Kiyoshi that day, she's been training harder than her teammates, especially when her team is up against Akashi's team in the upcoming Nationals. She had to admit, when watching his team play during Inter High tournaments from the sidelines; she was impressed on how they've improved from day 1, and she wasn't even surprised at that, knowing that like her, Akashi keeps them in line or if they won't cooperate, they'd get triple the laps and drills then from the Teiko captain.

As she neared the first gym's doors then, she could distinctly hear the sounds of a basketball and the sounds of a ball rebounding against the board of the goal. The sky-bluenette approached the doors then finally and she stopped on her tracks as she saw Akashi's figure then that was facing the basket with the ball tucked under his arm. Her attention then moved towards Murasakibara, who was eating some chips looking bored as usual, then to Midorima, who looked like he was in deep thought, then to Kise, who surprisingly had a grim expression on his once-cheery face, then to the tanned teen, Aomine Daiki, who was laying down on the bleachers then. She was about to go to them then when she heard Kise spoke, his once grim expression was replaced with his usual cheerful look, annoying the green haired male when the blonde whined.

"Damn it guys, you do know I'm present right? You have to pass me the ball sometimes." The blonde whined, and as usual, everyone ignored their most childish minded player.

"Geez, I can't believe it. Today, I only made 40 points." The sky-bluenette heard the tanned male grumble, as he tucked his arm under his head.

"Stop goofing around. You're holding the ball for too long," Midorima scolded Aomine, but the tanned male ignored him. "Thanks to you, I only made 15 points." He adjusted his eyeglasses then.

"You make three pointers anyway," Aomine bit back, as he was shifting then so that it was his back that could be seen then.

"It doesn't really matter anyway," Murasakibara yawned as he was still stuffing his mouth with the chips, looking very bored. "I'm tired."

Kise looked at him and glared. "You barely did anything and you're telling me you're tired! Pfft!" He complained, but the purple giant ignored him all together.

To that, it confused the sky-bluenette even more. What are they even talking about?

"It doesn't matter, Ryota. We won anyway. Every single time." It was Akashi's voice that broke her out of her thoughts as she looked at the redhead. She could have sworn that she detected a hint of frostiness in his tone then, something that she's surprised about since she knows that Akashi wasn't egotistical. "I heard that we'll be finally up against Hanzo Junior High in the upcoming Nationals." To that, Kise's eyes glittered in excitement, much like a kid getting his first candy.

"We're playing against Mikocchi?! That's so great! I can't wait to play her!" Kise was practically doing a tap dance on his feet then, looking like an idiot.

"Ah, Megami-chin," Murasakibara acknowledged then as soon as he heard Kamiko's name voiced out by the blonde. "I wonder how she is doing. I haven't had her tempura chips in a while." To that, he yawned.

"Of all that, Murasakibaracchi, tempura chips is all you could think of?" Kise complained once more as he was finally shut off by Midorima.

"I have to admit, she's really an exceptional basketball player. Her skills are something that I hold deep respect for, other than Akashi's," Midorima commented, with all pairs of eyes, except Akashi's and Aomine's, were on the green haired male. The green haired male then massaged his supposedly aching forehead with his right hand. "Though, she's unusually similar to someone I know…" he briefly glanced at their captain before the green haired male sighed as he crossed his arms then.

"Whatever! She's the best instructor that I could have!" The blonde sounded like he was squealing then, much to the sky-bluenette's amusement. "And she protects me from bullies like you, Midorimacchi!" He wore on a cute pout as he crossed his arms as he was looking like he was sulking then, much to the green haired male's annoyance towards the blonde.

"I merely speak the truth. I don't sugarcoat my words, and you should know that by now," Midorima glared at the blonde who was still sulking and ignoring the green haired male. "It's not even called bullying, Kise. Get your head straight!"

The sky-bluenette stifled her laugh then as the green haired male and the blonde was bickering back and forth then.

" 'She'? Midorima, it's a_ girl_?" To that, Aomine sat up then, and somehow she caught note of surprise and eagerness written all over his face. "Is she a D-cup then?" And that made Kamiko twitch in annoyance at his hopeful comment, causing her to look down at her chest area then.

It wasn't really clear since she kept wearing the spandex sports bra that's flattened her chest then in order to keep it out of the way. If she wasn't then, she would be a C-cup then. That's why since first year, she's been mistaken as guy, despite wearing a prescribed Hanzo female student blouse and vest. So far, it might be also because that instead wearing the skirt, she wore the prescribed pants for Hanzo male students then. _'Why was I even worried about that?!'_

"Of all that, Aominecchi, when a girl is mentioned, you go all perverted! Why can't you be serious for once?!"

"I don't look like I was being funny, do I?" The tanned male deadpanned, causing the blonde to fume then.

"GAH! I'm being serious here, Aominecchi! She's different! So much different from all the girls! She's not someone for you to feed your perverted fantasies! I'm really telling Momoicchi about this!" The blonde threatened the tanned male, who looked like he paled once he heard the pink-haired girl's name then, but only snorted at that.

"Whatever, Kise. But yeah, is she really that good in basketball?" Aomine then sat properly, leaning against the foot of the next level of bleachers.

"That's what you get for skipping practice all the time, Aomine," Midorima rolled his eyes, adjusting his eyeglasses as he earned a glare from the said tanned male. "We're up against _'Akuma reijingu' _or the 'Raging Demon' of the Uncrowned Kings of Hanzo Junior High, Karadai Kamiko." To that, the tanned male snapped his attention towards the green haired male in interest. "As a matter of fact, she's the Captain, Point Guard and Ace of their team… mainly known as the Demon Sixth Man." The green haired male sighed lightly. "She's also Akashi's best friend, who helped build up both basketball clubs to their current conditions today."

"Eh?" Aomine blinked in surprise as he glanced at their Captain, who was just standing by the basket, just silent during their continuous exchange. "Lucky! She really must be a hottie if she's captain's best friend then!" And he earned a hard smack from a pissed-off Kise.

"You're really getting on my nerves now, Aominecchi!"

"Hey! I wasn't looking for a fight, Kise! I'm just speaking what's on my mind! What's getting you all worked up?!"

"That's the very thing! You don't watch what you say all the time! That's why you get hit by Momoicchi EVERY TIME!"

Just then a round orange object—the basketball, no doubt—flew in between Kise and Aomine like a bullet, narrowly missing Aomine by a mere inch. The ball was spinning against the bleacher then, with fumes at its constant spin-a-win, before it dribbled after the gradually slow pace. Aomine and Kise stared at it in fear, making him glance at their redhead captain then.

"Sorry, I missed," Akashi muttered, both his hands outstretched, sounding a little too apologetic at his gesture, much to their inward face-palms, knowing too well that he did the miss on purpose to as a sign of warning.

The redhead then withdrew his hands then, his now-hetero-chromatic eyes glaring at each member of his team, resting on Aomine. "Daiki, a word of warning: if I hear any of your perverted statements about Kamiko, please be sure to keep your head attached when I'll haunt you down and kill you myself." He said and the tanned male nodded his head frantically then, as he went back to scooting beside Kise more, as if avoiding the _weapon_, which was the ball then.

"Even if this is Kamiko we're talking about, we'll give it our all from the start. When the National championships come, she and her team is our opponent." The redhead male stated as he moved to retrieve the ball then, causing the tanned male to flinch. Kamiko, however, unconsciously gripped on the bags, suddenly having a bad feeling about this turn of conversation. "Like the previous middle schools we've faced, we'll crush Hanzo Junior High's Uncrowned Kings next."

_'__Crush … my team?' _A silent gasp escaped her lips, not believing what she's hearing. Was it just her or was it really her redhead best friend talking just now? The fact she caught sight of his eyes answered one of her suspicions. She clearly remembered his eyes colored red along with his hair and now, it was no doubt that's both red _and _yellow. What happened while she wasn't present? Why is she thinking that _he's_… changed? A chill crept into her spine as she remembered her talk with Kiyoshi the other night.

_There are things that you can handle, but this… them… how they play basketball… it's something only they can handle themselves. Even if you wanted to do it for them, it's not going to work. You can't stop the change since it's the only thing constant in this world, but for them to choose to change for better or worse is their decision to make, not yours._

"Ma~! My back hurts from carrying the boxes earlier—oh! Miko-chaaaan!"

The sky-bluenette nearly jumped out of her skin as she heard Momoi calling for her then. She saw the surprised looks from Akashi's teammates then at their manager and inwardly face-palmed as she was thinking of a way out.

_'__This is bad. I have to go.'_

"Sorry, I have to go. These bags are from Maji's. I thought that I could order a take-out for you guys," Kamiko said as soon as she turned to face Momoi, who wore a rather confused expression before she whined.

"Come seat with us! I just got here! Have you seen the others yet?"

_'__I don't think I can handle looking at them in the eye after everything I just heard.'_

"It's fine. I'm already tired out. In fact, this take-out is all for you. I already ate." She lied smoothly then as she gestured for the bags. She didn't want to stay anymore. Heck, she didn't want to see them anymore. "Here," she must have forcefully placed the bags on Satsuki's arms, noticing that the pink haired girl almost lost her balance at the sudden weight on her arms. "I'll take my leave now—"

"Oh! Mikocchi! Is that you?!"

"Megami-chin."

"Hime-san."

"Who?"

_'__Shimat-ta!'_

The sky-bluenette ignored the blonde's excited yells and the purple giant, too and possible the tanned male as well.

"Kami?"

Her heart almost clenched in pain as she heard Akashi's soft, velvety voice calling out her name, ignoring him as well. She didn't look back then as she quietly passed Satsuki by, who in fact was trying to change her mind.

"O-Oi! Miko-chaaaan! Come on! Please stay! We haven't seen you since the start of the third year! We missed you, I missed you!" Momoi's pleas weren't able to reach the sky-bluenette's ears as she feigned deafness, continuing on her brisk pace.

_'__I'm sorry, Satsuki, but we'll see each other again at the National championships.'_

As she turned to corner after stepping out of the Teiko gates, little did she know that the tanned male caught sight of her sky-blue hair before she disappeared, confusing yet exciting the tanned male when a thought of younger girl with a similar hair color back in grade school crossed his mind. Unknowingly, his face etched into a small smile, something that Satsuki took note of; the first time he's smiled after so long and the pink-haired girl could only wonder what's making him smile then.

* * *

"Ehhh…" Kagami blinked in surprise as Kamiko was just staring at him. "So that's how you knew that they've already changed without you realizing it."

To that, Kamiko nodded and sighed lightly. "That's why I stopped coming by the Teiko gym. We only somehow reconnected when National championships came. It was a rather huge turnout for both teams, with the game count 94 to 105 when it was already the fourth quarter, with Teiko having the upper hand, having 5 minutes remaining before the game is officially finished."

"Oh yeah, and this was when… er… the accident happened," Kagami tried to be careful with words then as it was about Kamiko's injury back at Nationals in their third year.

"It's fine. Yes, that's correct. It's when Hanamiya nearly crippled my right shoulder," to that, she unconsciously rubbed her right shoulder then. "The game count at that time was already 131 to 131, with both teams on a tie-breaker. It was somehow the most difficult match that we've all been into. Neither of us from both teams, were even trying to defend our respective basket as we did the run and gun game in the remaining 5 minutes of the game." Kagami nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about as he remembered Seirin's practice match with Kaijo High then.

"There was no player switch by then when it was only 10 seconds to go, but somehow Hanamiya made it into court when he provoked Teiko's Ace." She got up on top of the bench as she walks on it. "And there you have it."

Kagami looked at her as she was walking a little farther from him on the bench that she was sitting on the whole time. "Teiko's Ace? Who's he?"

Kamiko tensed when he asked, as he was oblivious to her flinch then. "He's… let's just say, he was someone once, like you. A reckless player who enjoyed the thrill of playing strong opponents," she explained. "He was someone I met by chance back in the same grade school that Sei and I went to, then eventually met him again in the Nationals during the third year."

Silence lingered around the two people moments before the redhead spoke once more. "Can I ask you something?" Kagami asked and Kamiko briefly glanced at him.

"Didn't you ask just now?" She deadpanned, as the redhead snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Do you have to be sarcastic right now?"

Kamiko then chuckled softly, making him more confused then. "K-Kagami! I was just messing with you! Lighten up, will you?" She smiled gently as she sobered up, relaxing the red head eventually.

"Fine… the Generation of Miracles and the Uncrowned Kings… Just how strong are the other ten, compared to Kise?"

Kamiko didn't answer straight away as she looked in the direction where the Seirin gym was before turning back towards her teammate. Kagami was a little taken aback to see the serious look in Kamiko's eyes—almost like she's condemning him to death or something.

"Like I said before, you won't understand just from my words alone," she said. "Words can't describe it. It is something that you can understand only if you experience it for yourself. You'll soon understand their strength…" the sky-bluenette sighed. "… especially when you meet both of _them_."

Kagami frowned as Kamiko left the roof top and he quickly followed her.

_'__Who the hell are they?'_

* * *

"You know, Tetsu. You should have given me a little more heads up before the day of your arrival next time okay?"

When her younger brother called her up to tell her to get him from the airport the minute her classes for the day ended, she had to file an excuse slip, stating that she had to skip practice for today because she had to get a family relative from the airport. Luckily, after some hard-drilling interrogation from Riko, she was able to be let off the hook as she dashed towards the airport, just in time to see a familiar face that she's missed so much.

"Gomen, Kami-nee," Kuroko Tetsuya [despite being half-siblings (with different fathers), they love each other nonetheless] gave a small smile to his older sister, who looked exhausted then as she was carrying his backpack. "Surprised?"

The female sky-bluenette made a playful glare at her younger brother. "Do I even look surprised?" She asked in a rather sarcastic manner, causing Kuroko to chuckle lightly as his sister's attempt to look mad at him, he simply knowing that she couldn't stay mad at him for a long time.

As they reached Kamiko's apartment, she told her younger brother to take a cool shower then, whilst she makes a dinner for two then, which Kuroko happily obliged.

* * *

A mere thirty minutes then, dinner was ready. Beef teriyaki and some tempura with chilled grape juice to go with it and it was just about time that the male sky-bluenette got out of the showers, already dressed in pajamas and a damp towel hanging loosely on his head. "Mmm, smells good. I missed the smell of Japanese food…" he softly commented as Kamiko smiled and gestured for him to seat as she gets the damp towel from his head after messily drying his hair.

"Itadakimasu." They both clapped once as they bowed their heads, somehow saying a short prayer and began to dig on the food prepared by Kamiko.

"Ne, Kami-nee. _She_ couldn't accept the fact that you didn't enroll in the schools _she_ recommended for you," It was Kuroko who broke the comfortable silence and Kamiko flinched ever so slightly at the mere mention of _her_.

"I should thank _her_ for the recommendations, though, but in the end, I'm making the final decision since I'm the one going to school, not_ her_," The female sky-bluenette said matter-of-factly as she stuffed her mouth with the beef teriyaki and rice then.

"I know." The male sky-bluenette picked on a shred of the beef teriyaki then, properly eating it. "You know. Anyway, Inter High tournament is around the corner?" He quickly changed the topic as he noticed an annoyed neutral expression in his sister's face, annoyed about the Aunt Miyuki subject.

Visibly, she relaxed as she continued to eat, pausing just to take a sip from her grape juice. "Yep. Our captain will hold a meeting about the list of schools that will participate in this year's Inter High tomorrow." She stated, getting herself seconds as Kuroko politely asked for seconds as well.

"And… _five _particular schools will in fact be present," The male bluenette added his input and Kamiko nodded in agreement. "The same schools that _she _chose for you."

Kamiko nodded to that as well and silence hover over the siblings as they continued to eat.

"Is your new team strong enough to face off against _them_?"

Midway through her eating, she paused upon hearing the question that she's been thinking about as soon as Aida told her that there would be a meeting about the Inter High tomorrow. "I wouldn't be so sure, Tetsu." She quietly placed back her spoon on the bowl as she stared at it, thinking. "But I trust them. I trust our coach. I trust our captain. I trust my teammates." Kamiko smiled a little as the grinning faces of the Seirin players surfaced as she was thinking about them just now. "We'll be better after every match and that's something to look forward to."

To that, her younger brother smiled a little at her strong faith for her new team, as he was finished eating by then, picking up his used bowl and spoon and fork to place it in the sink. Kamiko insisted that she'd wash the dishes, but he refused to let her do so.

"Just go take a shower, Kami-nee. You'll need more rest than I do."

Kamiko was thinking it over as she stared at Kuroko—more like glaring at him, but finally she obliged, going to her room to freshen up.

* * *

"I found the futon!" After twenty minutes in hitting the showers, Kamiko popped her head by her bedroom door with a damp towel hanging loosely on her head. "I'll just find a pillow…" she trailed off as she was in her room again, rampaging through her things for an unused pillow for Kuroko, much to her younger brother's amusement. Kamiko's pajama is similar to Kuroko's pajama then, though the only difference was the prints on them. The female sky-bluenette had fluffy clouds prints on hers while the male sky-bluenette had baby elephant prints on his. "Yes! Here!" She threw the pillow to him, catching it in the process as he looked at it weirdly. "It's a pillow."

"I know that, Kami-nee. Thanks for stating the obvious," Kuroko shook his head in amusement as they both fixed his futon and place it beside her bed since it was spacious enough. When they settled down on their beds, Kamiko glanced at her brother who was just looking for something in his bag.

"Tetsu, do you miss mom and dad?"

Kuroko stopped at his rampaging to look at Kamiko, only to find a sad expression written on her face as she was hugging her knees, looking like a frightened child who just lost her porcelain doll.

"All the time." He closed his bag zipper, forgetting what he was supposed to look for as he stood up to sit at the edge of her bed and face her. "Remember when Mom and Dad would bring us to the school where they used to work as basketball coaches? They… well… they just blew us away. The passion… the fun they had as they teach basketball, or even just demonstrate the tactics of the game." He gave a small sad smile. "Did you see the proud look on their faces when we said that we wanted to be just like them when we grow up?" To that, Kamiko looked at Kuroko then. " _'Two most important things in basketball: Discipline and Passion.'_ That's what dad said. We play because we love the game; we play because it helps us to discipline ourselves; we play because… it's fun." The male sky-bluenette leaned forward gently to kiss his sister on the forehead, making her smile at his gesture. "That's how we preserve the most important memories when they were still alive."

Kamiko relaxed her posture as she leaned to hug him, feeling grateful towards the one of the fewest people who understood her completely.

"Thanks for being the best brother, Tetsu."


	12. FOR TDSM READERS

**/Author's Note:**

Hello there, fellow reader/s!

For the sake of some who are confused about Kamiko's age and year level in T.D.S.M., with the rest of the (Kuroko no Basuke) characters, I'll do my best to explain to ease down your confusion.

Karadai Kamiko is a few months older than Kuroko Tetsuya, which makes them both freshmen in high school (and making her the older sister of Tetsuya). Akashi Seijuro and the rest of the Generation of Miracles members are of the same age as Kamiko. Same is said with three members of the Uncrowned Kings (namely Hayama Kotaro, Nebuya Eikichi, and Hanamiya Makoto.) and only one is a year older, namely Kiyoshi Teppei.

About the sky-bluenette duo's parents, they share the same mother, but different fathers.

In the manga and series, the protagonist is a freshman, along with the Generation of Miracles and every single one of the Uncrowned Kings is a year older than them. I twisted that fact a little in this story, changing just three of the Uncrowned Kings on the same year and age level as Kamiko, retaining the part where my (made-up) protagonist is also a freshman with the Generation of Miracles. I wanted to keep Kiyoshi Teppei, as a year older than all of them for the sake of following through some of the general points through the manga and anime series.

The characters I've mentioned here are among the most important characters in T.D.S.M., each playing a big role in some of the chapters, including the (less important) Kaijo High, Touou High, and Shutoku High seniors.

I hope this information satisfies your confusion and curiosity and it is alright! I want my readers, with you in it, to enjoy reading T.D.S.M. as much as possible without being confused. I thank you for dropping by to read my story and review!

If you still have more questions, please feel free to drop a review or message me directly!

Love lots,

~DJ 3

**P.S. I only own my main protagonist, some lesser-known [and made-up (or not mentioned in the manga or anime series)] characters, and the twists of the original manga plot. The rest is the owner's. Credits to him.**


	13. Chapter 9

**~/ Short author's note: Here's the next update! I hoped you're pumped to read this next chapter! **

**FAVORITE, FOLLOW, and REVIEW! 3 **

**Thanks! 3**

**3**

**lovelots,**

**~DJ**

Practice didn't start immediately that day, as Hyuuga had called for a meeting, as well as handing out a list of the schools participating in the Inter High tournament to every single member of the team. Surprisingly, Riko wasn't present that day.

_Yet._

"The Inter High preliminaries start as a tournament," Hyuuga explained as everyone looked through the incredibly long list of schools that they currently had in their hands. "If we lose, we're out. We can't let our guard down for even a single game." He warned.

Kamiko glanced at her own list, he gaze falling on the names of five particular schools. _'Inter High, huh?' _she mused. _'Finally here at last.' _The sky-bluenette glanced at her teammates, then back at the blue arm spandex that was covering her right full arm. _'Will my current style be enough?'_ To that, memories from last night, the conversation she had with Tetsuya when he reminded her about what their dad told them once.

_'__Two most important things in basketball: Discipline and Passion.' _

Kamiko is sure that most possibly every high school in Japan is dreading having to face a school that had one of the members of the Uncrowned Kings and the Generation of Miracles. She doesn't blame them, though. The sky-bluenette had seen anger and fear reflecting in the eyes of the opponents whom they have thrashed during their middle schools, until the Uncrowned Kings themselves were thrashed by the Generation of Miracles themselves.

The Uncrowned Kings and the Generation of Miracles aren't someone whom anyone would want to face on the courts.

Among all the middle school basketball circuits, not one was dumb enough not to recognize both monster teams by the time third year turned over but the Generation of Miracles were suicidal enough to challenge the best team in Japan.

Now, the high school basketball circuit were all sighing in relief and patting themselves on their backs that the members of the Generation of Miracles and Uncrowned Kings have all decided to split up to go play for different schools. Just facing one of their members is terrifying enough. Imagine all of them in the same team and every single member from both teams was the best at what they do.

"Tokyo has blocks A through D," Hyuuga continued, the sky-bluenette's attention back to the list in her hand. "The winner of each block goes to the championship league. The top three winners from the championship league participate in the Inter High. Only three schools are chosen out of 300 participating schools. _That_ chosen 1% will stand on the court of their dreams. That's the Inter High."

Kamiko glanced at the name 'Touou' somewhere in the list, mentally calculated the set up of the matches in her head. If everything goes well, and if Seirin wins every match that they had, they might only have to end up playing Touou during the Inter High preliminaries final league, given the fact that both Touou and Seirin are in the Tokyo district.

_'__Oh dear…'_ Kamiko thought, seemingly a little worried as she glanced at Kagami. Despite having no interaction with the tanned male (only watching from afar ever since second grade), she knew he was hotheaded, like Kagami. Thus, she dreads what will happen once those two would ever meet in court.

"I sort of get the whole picture," Kagami said. "But they are not chosen. They _win_ it, sir." He added.

The second years smiled at this and the three other freshmen that have joined the basketball club alongside Kagami and Kamiko, but were named as reserve players instead exchanged looks.

"We got three weeks until the Inter High preliminaries," Hyuuga continued. "We fell one stop short last year, but we'll definitely go this year. We'll be facing a lot of strong schools, but our biggest and strongest opponent is Shutoku High." At the mention of the said school, Kamiko tensed on her spot and Kagami noticed this. "Last year, they were in the nation's top eight. On top of that, like Kaijo, they've accumulated one of the Generation of Miracles for their team. If we can't beat them, we won't make it to the Nationals."

_'__If we play against the Generation of Miracles, it will be the championship game,' _Kagami thought, glancing at his own list, then looking at his seemingly shorter teammate beside him, who was in deep thought—who the hell could tell with that expressionless look on her face? "Ne, Karadai, you know who he is, don't you?" Kagami felt very foolish the moment the question left his lips. Hell, the girl knew the Generation of Miracles personally and was friends with them since the start of middle school. Of course she would know who they are!

Kamiko briefly glanced at the redhead then back at her list. "Within the Generation of Miracles, four are on an entirely different level, even within the Uncrowned Kings, as compared to Ryota. If they've gotten even better from the last time that I've seen them, then I cannot even begin to imagine how good they are now."

To that, Kagami just frowned.

"By the way, where's coach?" Tsuchida wondered, glancing around the gym.

"She went to observe our first opponent's practice game," Hyuuga answered. On cue then, the doors of the gym swung opened, with Riko stepping in, looking no different from before. Kamiko, who is sharper and much more observant than most people noticed the slight tensing of muscles in the older girl, making the sky-bluenette conclude that the match against Shutoku might have to take the back seat for now.

"I'm back."

"She was skipping after the Kaijo game, but she's not skipping today," Kawahara commented.

"Coach, are you going to skip today?" Furihata asked.

No one would really know how innocent his question was, getting the half-awake hulk riled up on the poor guy.

_"__Like hell I will!"_ Riko hissed and the entire team scooted over to one side if they wanted to keep their heads on. Kagami and Kamiko looked at the retreating members, realizing that they were the only ones unmoving from their spots.

"She wouldn't act like a total idiot over an official game," Hyuuga sighed as he reprimanded the freshmen, as Riko walked up by his side, placing her bag down on the floor. "But you do seem unhappy," He told the short brunette. "Are they good?"

Riko's mood seemed to darken at his question. "We shouldn't even be worrying about the Shutoku match when our first match isn't looking good," she said grimly. "One of their players might give us trouble. You can watch the video later." She said as she handed her red cell-phone to Hyuuga. "Take a look at this picture."

Hyuuga flipped opened the cell-phone, and out of pure curiosity the rest of the team crowded around the four-eyed captain. A picture of an adorable brown and white kitten peered back at them, apparently having just woken up from a nap.

"I-It's cute, but…"

"Sorry, it's the next one," Riko groaned.

"The next one?" Hyuuga repeated as he went to the next picture, and his entire countenance, along with the entire team, changed immediately as the picture of a foreigner with dark skin and a shaven head appeared on the screen.

"His name is Papa Mbaye Siki. Two meters tall, weighing 87 kilograms. He's a foreign student from Senegal."

All the four second years have the exact same expression on their faces, even the usual impassive Mitobe whose expressionless face is enough to match Kamiko's.

"Senegal? He's huge. Two meters tall?" Hyuuga gaped.

"Can they even do this?" Koganei wondered.

"He's studying abroad?" Izuki spluttered. "Sorry but… where's Senegal?"

"He's just big," Kagami stated the rather obvious, not seeming worried about their next opponent in the least, despite the fact that his seniors were all freaking out around him. The second years ignored his comment, even as Kamiko peered at the photo in silence, studying the photo carefully.

Height is one of the major factors in basketball matches, as many players tend to use their height to their advantage. When the Uncrowned Kings have first started their debut during their freshmen year, apart from the gorilla-looking teammate, all of them barely reached 180 centimeters in height as the only girl was only about 160 centimeters in height; the shortest in the bunch. Hence, their drills usually had them training against their tallest regular, in learning how to deal with a player taller and bigger than themselves.

"This Papa Mbaye… what's it again?" Hyuuga asked.

"Papanpa?" Tsuchida offered unsurely.

"It's Papa Try-Hard." Koganei said, not remembering the name either as Izuki coming up with another bad pun and scribbling in that notebook of his.

"We're not getting anywhere. Miko-chan, find a nickname for this guy," The short brunette said in annoyance.

The sky-bluenette was silent for several moments before her brain came up with the easiest name to remember. "How about 'Dad' then?"

"Where's your naming sense?" Koganei spluttered as he was trying to stifle back his laugher at Kamiko's naming choice; not that the rest of the team were any better.

The short brunette finally lost all patience in her at seeing her team goof around. _"Listen!"_ To that, the team jerked to attention. "He's not just tall. His arms and legs are long as well. Everything about the guy is big. More and more schools are inviting students from abroad to increase their power. Our next opponent, Shinkyo High, was only a middle tier school until last year, but with the addition of a single foreign player, they've become a completely different team. They can't reach high enough. That's why, no one can stop him."

The entire team fell silent, and Kagami grunted. "But we can't just do nothing," he protested.

"Who said we would?" Riko smirked and the redhead blinked in confusion. "That's why… Kagami-kun and Miko-chan. Starting tomorrow, both of you will have your own training regimen." She then grinned. "The preliminaries start on May 16th! Until then, you won't even have time to complain!"

* * *

The next week after that before their first match in the Inter High preliminaries considered 'training week' for the basketball team, as they were put through numerous drills, practices, and even strategy meetings that had Koganei complaining once that 'training week' should really be renamed as 'hell week', as everyone of them were so exhausted that their eyes were drooping continuously in class the next day.

Two days before their match against Shinkyo High, one can find Kamiko cleaning the glass counter in Sayou's restaurant where she was helping the said older female, who was in the kitchen preparing a late dinner good for three people, since the older lady knew the sky-bluenette's huge appetite despite being a girl. The older female, however, asked the sky-bluenette if her younger brother would be dropping by at that time, but sadly, the sky-bluenette said he wouldn't be able to since he's got errands to run, much to the older female' dismay.

"Miko-chan! Could you set up the table? I'll be finishing up here," Sayou's head popped out of the under head counter where meals were usually passed through. The sky-bluenette nodded as she moved away from the counter to fix the table which was nearest to the window, since she loves to stare out while eating. As she was fixing the table, a chime from the entrance door sounded, signaling a new customer. She then turned around as she was about to greet the customer, who turned out to be a familiar soft strawberry crown in his respective Rakuzan High uniform with outgrown bangs, his school sling bag hanging on his right shoulder whilst holding a bucket of her favorite potato mojos.

"Hey you." Akashi Seijuro gave a small smile as he looked at her way.

A peppery pink blush powdered her round cheeks as she smiled back. "Sei."

* * *

"A-re, a-re~ Miko-chan! Eh? Sei-kun?!"

The sky-bluenette inwardly tensed at the cheerful voice of Sayou, as the older female emerged from the kitchen with dinner in two trays then. Kamiko briefly glanced at the lady as she placed the dinner on the fixed table then back at the redhead before her, raising a curious brow as she noticed the usual straight expression on his face, much to her amusement.

"I do hope you remember your own nephew, Sayou-san," She mused lightly as she gestured the stoic Akashi to sit with her.

"Of course, I do, Miko-chan! I'm not old! Not yet anyway!" The older female puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "I can't believe you two are still not dating! It's not making me any younger, knowing that you still don't have one until now," Sayou teased, nudging at Kamiko, who apparently was blushing as well, but she hid well under her annoyed expression. The older female wore a gentle smile at Akashi as she reached out to give him bone-crushing hug which he returned. "You haven't been around and you decided to just waltz in like that?"

"It's better than not being able to visit at all, Aunt Sayou," the strawberry crown released her from the hug as he placed the bucket on the table where the prepared food were placed. "I needed to get away for a short while to visit both of my most favorite women in the world."

"Oh please! Since when are you this cheesy? No offense but cheesiness never suited you at all, Sei-kun," The older female playfully dismissed it with a wave and the male shoots her a look, which she only chuckled at. "Since you're already here, I can't kick you out. I've prepared food that's good for three people." Sayou said thoughtfully as she wiped her hands on her messy apron and Akashi looked back at the table.

"Are we expecting another parasite to join us, Aunt Sayou?"

"How rude, Sei-kun. Watch your language." The older female flicked his nose which he glared at her in return. No one was daring enough to flick his nose except Sayou and Kamiko, though. "Miko-chan here told me that she was very hungry—"

"Sayou-san! Please fetch the glasses!" The older female giggled as she saw the sky-bluenette's growing irritation that was seemingly radiating from the said girl, causing the male's heterochromatic eyes to twinkle in amusement at Kamiko's embarrassment.

When the older female left them two alone, Kamiko sneakily tried to pick a mojo and Akashi playfully swat her hand away causing her to retract her hand quickly and pout.

"But you know that I love them!" Kamiko crossed her arms, sulking and to that, Akashi shook his head firmly.

"I know. That's why I bought them for you," He said. "Main dish before 'dessert', Kami," the soft redhead shot her a warning look, causing the sky-bluenette to sigh and shook her head in amusement then, suddenly missing the times when he's the bossy one out of both of them but the outcome was beautiful every single time.

Akashi shook his head in mild amusement, inviting a gentle look from Sayou who was assisting some customers and some odd looks from the fellow customers as he took a box of napkin from the glass counter for Kamiko, whose mouth in fact was covered with the white creamy sauce from the sautéed fish fillet.

To be honest, he missed her. Nowadays has been hard for him to see her since he's in Kyoto and she's in Tokyo, especially when his father has been keeping him busy with the business that he has no intentions in taking over after he graduates. The redhead male passed the napkin box to her as she picked a couple of tissues from and dabbed her mouth clean.

"You nearly finished half of the fried rice platter; you devoured almost half of the breaded fish fillet…I'm not surprised," Akashi mused lightly, finding the current situation quite funny now, as he took his seat, facing her. "But I'll never get used to your eating habits, Kami, even if I wanted to."

Kamiko groaned playfully. "You have to get used to it! It's a must!" She briefly glanced at her redhead best friend then back at her already empty plate, shrugging lightly in the process. "I can't help it when I'm a guy living in a girl's body." She gestured at her body like it was not a big deal.

"I'm surprised you managed to keep your table manners intact with you eating like a pig, Kami."

"How rude of you to say that, Sei." The sky-bluenette sported a mocking hurtful look on her face while gesturing to her heart as if it hurts. The strawberry crown quirked a small smile at her dramatic nature as he placed the napkins on the table once more. "I missed your silver tongue. You're worse than Shinta-kun in every way, you know."

"I believe I'll let that comment slide for now," Akashi's eyes gleamed threateningly, resting his chin on his knuckles as he leaned forward a bit towards his edge of the table. "Don't you know anything about me by now, Kami?" He glanced at her as she starts to serve herself more seconds then. "I hate being compared to anybody, even to my former teammates."

Kamiko shook her head, unwavered by his threatening gaze, merely shrugging it off since she was used to it, even before his _change._ "Don't you know anything about me by now, Sei?" she repeated this question back to him then. "I'm not like anyone who cowers under your hard gaze because I believe I'm the only one who can stand against you, along with your former teammates."

Silent for a few minutes, the strawberry crown sighed lightly and pressed his lips into a thin line before he spoke softly. "I know, Kami." He noticed her subtly raising her brow and decided to ignore that as he cleared his throat. "I saw the list of participating schools for the Inter High." He quickly changed the subject, inwardly grateful when Kamiko followed the flow of conversation. "If Seirin continue winning all their matches, chances are that they will end up facing Shutoku High—the school that Shintaro had gone to."

"I know," Kamiko said with a sigh. "If everything goes well, it will only be a matter of time before we end up facing Touou in a match, given the fact that we're both in the Tokyo district."

Akashi was silent for several moments while tapping quietly on the edge of the table with his forefinger, finally looking at Kamiko with a small smile. "It won't be long til' we play each other like the old times, Kami." But his short-lived smile was immediately replaced with a frown. "You should have already realized this during your practice match with Kaijo High. You can't afford to take on a member of the Generation of Miracles, even the Uncrowned Kings with only half of your original strength. Ryota's strength isn't on the level of me and the other eight, being the only reason why you can take him on by only half your skills." He darted his attention from her towards the window. "You taught Shintaro his skills. His ability as Teiko's number one shooter isn't something to be underestimated, the rest of us not knowing really how far he's gone after _that _match. If you take him on despite that and with only half your skill, you can't win."

Kamiko said nothing, unconsciously rubbing her right arm. She knew this even without Akashi or any of _them_ telling her. Her current style is just at half her usual strength, even if Akkiko would gain control of her body as temporarily to do the job for her if needed; even if he had done a lot of effort to train her using her left arm. To take on a member of the Generation of Miracles and the Uncrowned Kings, she has to use her full style with her right arm. The only problem here is that despite being able to shoot the goal with her right, she still lacks control to use her full style with it.

"I still can't hope to shoot with my right arm, despite how many times I was able to do so," Kamiko said at last.

"You have your ways to get around it," Akashi said. "Your speed is one factor that had always helped your team in the past, though it was a slight disadvantage to our part. I can say one thing though. Even if you can go half-strength against others and won, when Seirin ever faces Rakuzan in the near future, you might not want to hope to beat me, Kami."

* * *

May 16th came faster than anyone would have liked and the day found the entire Seirin team gathered in front of the gym where the Inter High tournament was being held, and where Seirin would be playing against Shinkyo that day.

"Looks like the gang's all here," Riko mused with a smirk as she led the team into the gym.

Kagami's eyes were bloodshot like how they were when playing against Kaijo High and he even had dark eye bags beneath his eyes. Kamiko glanced at the taller boy.

"Can't sleep again?"

Kagami twitched. "S-Shut up!" he hissed, causing the sky-bluenette to chuckle lightly.

The entire team was then lead into the gymnasium and begin their standard warm ups before a game, with the spectators slowly filling in and the game authorities begun setting up the scoreboard and head table, also checking that the floor of the court wasn't too polished and that the goal is in good working condition.

Hyuuga, who was doing his warm ups like everyone else, glanced towards the Shinkyo side just then and noticed someone missing. "Dad doesn't seem to be here," The captain commented, inviting some weird looks from a passing authority who is readying the court for the match.

Izuki, who was practicing his shooting, looked around at this comment. "Now that you mention it…" he trailed off.

There was a sound of a bang against metal just then, and a voice groaning with pain. This got the attention of the entire Seirin team, even Kamiko was dribbling the ball with her left hand, not really paying attention to her warm ups.

A tall guy had just banged his forehead against the doorframe before bending down so as to be able to entire the gym. The eyes of the Seirin team went wide as they saw at how tall and large that Dad really was. The dark foreigner was grumbling as he rubbed the bump on his forehead.

"Everything is so short in Japan," he grumbled.

_'__Isn't that because you're just tall?' _the sky-bluenette thought irritably. Her mood isn't at its best ever since the talk that she had with Akashi two nights ago, thought it isn't like the rest of her team had noticed, since the blue haired girl doesn't talk much in the first place.

"What are you doing?" Shinkyo's coach scolded Papa as the giant approached him towering over the coach. "Hurry up."

"Sorry I'm late!"

"Why is that the only thing that you can speak fluently?" One of Skinkyo's players, whom Kamiko recognized as the captain, Tanimura Yusuke, approached Papa. A lone basketball bumped into the back of his shoe just then, and the blonde Shinkyo captain turned around only to see Hyuuga approaching him.

"Oh, sorry," Hyuuga apologized, picking up his basketball.

"By the way, did you really beat Kaijo?"

"It was just a practice game." Hyuuga replied.

"I see. I guess the Generation of Miracles or maybe the Uncrowned Kings isn't as strong as we thought."

To that, Hyuuga narrowed his eyes at the comment, making Kamiko frown.

"The Generation of Miracles lost?" Papa asked in puzzlement, having been listening in on the conversation of the two captains. "They brought me here to beat them. I'm disappointed that they're so weak."

Hyuuga was barely restraining himself from punching the foreign student in the face for looking down on Seirin like that whilst Kagami himself was barely holding himself together. Kamiko wasn't happy at the comments of the other team, but unlike the two boys one can't really tell what's she's thinking.

Papa then walked past a twitching Kagami, about to make his way to the changing room, only to bump into Kamiko. He looked around before looking down only to see Kamiko staring up at him, her long sky-blue hair tied up in a high pony tail like how she always did during every training session and at every match that they went to.

"No, little one. Children shouldn't be on the court," he told her, patting on the head like she's a kid—as she was barely trying to control her growing annoyance then. The giant noticed her team jersey beneath the shirt that she was wearing, and realized his mistake. "You're a player? You're joking, right?" He asked Tanimura. "I can't play against a girl!"

She was barely restraining from twitching now, like Hyuuga earlier, even as the Shinkyo captain joked. "Oh, come on, we'll just go easy on them!" this time causing Hyuuga to be pissed.

"They lost to a little girl like that? Are all of the Generation of Miracles and Uncrowned Kings children?"

Kamiko was silent as she composed herself then, despite her anger already past its boiling point then. She hasn't been this fired up like this in a match for a long time now. "I hate repeating myself but if it's necessary then I will," she spoke up, glancing at the taller guy, who looked down at her. "I'm a guy living this… _little girl's_ body," she said and the rest of both teams, even Papa was surprised at her tone of loathing. "If you only come to thrash us with words, do so through basketball." To that, she looked at each of the opposing team's now-fearful eyes with the dead menacing look from her honey-glazed eyes. "We're not going to hold back."

Upon hearing this, Kagami smirked and said. "I guess we'd better show them why they shouldn't piss off kids."

* * *

The timer on the clock is now at six minutes and twenty-four seconds to go in the first quarter and Shinkyo is currently in the lead with 8 points to Seirin's 3, yet it doesn't bother them in the least.

Papa aimed another shot once more, but the ball bounced against the rim of the basket and fell back to the court. Mitobe, who is currently the closest to the basket, reached the ball first, despite the best attempts of the Shinkyo player who was marking him. Riko was right in saying that they only have to worry about Papa, as the rest of the players who made up the team are average at best.

"He missed! Rebound!" Hyuuga shouted.

And that's how the game went for the next several minutes, as every shot that Papa took, he either missed it completely or it rebounded, thus allowing a Seirin player to snatch back the ball. Tanimura was watching in disbelief as Papa huffed and wheezed, taking in deep breaths.

_'__His accuracy suddenly declined,' _Tanimura realized. _'What's going on?'_

Kamiko smiled to herself as she remembered the training sessions that Riko had Kagami go through during the week before their match with Shinkyo. The coach had Kagami training with Mitobe, the silent player who specializes in defending.

Their coach, Ittoki Kuso, had the Uncrowned Kings go through a similar training with Nebuya once during their freshmen year, as he was easily the tallest in the entire team, easily towering above Reo, who was the second tallest in the team then. As all of them, apart from Nebuya, barely reached 180 centimeters in height during their freshmen year, Kuso had them train to learn how to play against someone taller and larger than themselves.

_"__Blocking isn't the only way to defend against shots," The female coach told the team, a basketball beneath one arm with a white whistle hanging around her neck, facing the first string regulars who were all lined up in a single file before her, Nebuya standing next to her, the gorilla-looking giant who just have a permanent scowl on his face. "You can either make him miss or steal the ball from him before he can shoot."_

Kagami, who had trained for a week straight with Mitobe in defending, had been keeping to his role pressuring Papa with his defense, blocking him whenever he could; thus, pissing off the foreign player and himself.

_Don't let him do what he wants to do. Don't let him go where he wants to go. Force him out of his comfort zone. Pressure him so he can't shoot easily._

Papa took another shoot at the basket, and once more, it missed, bouncing off harmlessly against the rim, thus enabling a nearby Seirin player to steal the ball and make off with it. The spectators begun to mutter amongst themselves.

"He missed again. He's been missing a lot."

"He can't make any shots. This foreigner's no big deal."

Tanimura, whose breaths is coming short and sweating a great deal considering that it's still only the middle of the first quarter, scowled. _'Shut your mouths. There's tons of pressure on the court. He can almost block him with those jumps.' _He thought, glancing at Kagami who had once more leapt up into the air to block Papa from shooting. _'The intensity of his focus could kill!' _

"What the hell is this guy?!" Papa demanded.

The ball bounced against the rim of the hoop and rebounded once more.

"He missed again!"

Papa looked frustrated as he wiped away a bead of sweat trailing down his chin. "What the hell is this? I'm pissed!"

"Don't let it get to you. He's not blocking you." Tanimura told Papa as the captain turned and ran down the court in an attempt to get the ball that is currently in possession of Hyuuga. "Defense!"

Kagami's eye twitched and the maniac grin on his face could pass off as a grin that one would only see on the face of some patient that had just escaped from a mental institute.

_'__This method's stressful for me too,' _He thought. _'I've got to take him down more directly than this!'_

The redhead hurried over to the center of the court and planted himself in front of Papa, keeping a sharp eye out for the ball and for his ever indescribable teammate who seemed to have disappeared two minutes into the game. Kagami wasn't worried. Knowing Kamiko and her 'disappearance' for this long in a match, she had some plan up her sleeve, and is bound to attack soon. The way for him to assist her is back her up in her play.

"Hey, let me tell you two things," Kagami said. "First, I'll block one of your shots in this game."

Papa twitched. "Impossible! There's no way you can do that!" He sneered. "I will not lose to a team with a little girl on it."

Kagami twitched at his statements. _'Having a grudge against the team with a little girl, damn it?_ He snarled inwardly, itching for an excuse to punch Papa, not liking it when an outsider looks down on his teammates.

"Second…" The redhead took his opportunity to slip past Papa's defenses, positioning himself near Seirin's basket as Izuki passed the ball that happened to go directly towards Papa.

The foreign player grinned triumphantly, seeing it as a chance, but before he could even get the ball, the sky-bluenette came out of nowhere, 'stealing' the ball in the process as she made the dunk immediately.

"This girl might give you some trouble." Kagami grinned as Kamiko landed back on court.

"Kagami, I do have a name, you know? Or have you forgotten? I prefer if you use it," Kamiko said with a rather too-calm tone as she glanced at the grinning redhead, yet the entire Seirin team and even the opposing team got shivers from her stare alone, just like the one before the match began.

_'__Scary!'_

* * *

The doors to the bleachers above the courts opened silently, and a green haired young man stepped in, smirking lightly as he watched the match currently going on below him. The only girl player on the Seirin team had just easily stolen the ball from Shinkyo and dunked into the goal, easily earning Seirin another two points.

_'__You're in for a world of pain if you underestimate her,' _he thought, pushing his glasses up his nose as he recalled how her team had easily scored dunks and even three point shots just by utilizing Kamiko's play back in middle school even against the Generation of Miracles.

* * *

"Seriously?"

"They dunked the ball right after they stole it."

"That's two dunks in a row. This is still the first round of the preliminaries."

"That was amazing." Hyuuga stated as he jogged down the court with Kagami and Kamiko near him. There are now only a few seconds left to go before the first quarter is over. _'Has Kamiko always been this good?' _ The captain grinned in amusement. "Are you really that mad about being called a kid?" he teased.

"I guess," Kamiko mused, recalling Papa's words before the match and what the captain of Shinkyo had said as well. "It's always, 'don't talk until you've played them.' "

The buzzer went off just then, with the referee blowing his whistle, announcing the end of the first quarter, with the game score being 8 to 23, with Seirin in the lead.

Riko was pleased with her team at the end of the first quarter and had said as much.

The Seirin team was forced to play twice as hard as compared during the first quarter as Shinkyo wasn't all pleased with how the match is currently going and thus, the Seirin team had quite a tough time trying to block their shots and prevent them from passing to Papa, or even scoring themselves.

Hyuuga and Izuki stared with shock as Kagami tried to stop Papa from scoring another basket. "He really is amazing," Izuki stated with amazement.

"Didn't he get even higher?" Hyuuga wondered. _'Could have sworn that the last jump was even higher than what he had attempted during the first quarter.'_

Papa wasn't amused. "I'm serious now! I won't lose!"

Kagami made a ferocious grin. "I couldn't ask for anything at all. I'm starting to get excited, 'Dad'!"

The match between Seirin and Shinkyo continued on, with there being eight more minutes to go for the second quarter, and the score is currently at 12 to24, with Seirin still in the lead.

Hyuuga, who is currently in possession of the ball, attempted a three point shot at where he was standing, seeing a Shinkyo player attempting to block him, and the captain cursed himself inwardly as he saw the ball beginning to fall short of the goal. "Shit, it's too short!"

Kamiko took this chance as she made a swift sprint and a leap as she took on the ball, immediately tapping it towards Kagami, who is still marking Papa as planned, and the redhead made a dunked into the goal himself.

Both landing the floor, the sky-bluenette sighed to herself inwardly as she recalled the dunk that he made just now. She was pleased that she had found such a strong candidate like him, Kagami is sure to improve enough to even match the best of both Generation of Miracles and the Uncrowned Kings. She wasn't all surprised that he couldn't shoot though. _'I can't believe he's a show off,'_ she thought amusedly.

"Okay, nice shot!" Kawahara cheered from the Seirin bench.

"Nice rebound!" Furihata cheered.

Tanimura, who is currently in possession of the ball, and currently getting guarded by Izuki, noted that Papa seemed to be getting more frustrated than the first quarter. "Papa, don't let it bother you! We'll give you the ball!" The Shinkyo captain then passed the ball to a nearby teammate who immediately passed it to Papa.

The foreign player immediately jumped to attempt another shot, but Kagami jumped as well to block his shot. Papa immediately changed tactics halfway and passed the ball to a nearby teammate, surprising everyone.

"What's wrong, Papa? You had that! One more time!"

Papa gained possession of the ball once more and attempted another shot, but again, Kagami jumped and blocked him, not allowing his shot to go through. _'Why? He's getting higher and higher!' _Papa thought in shock.

"Kagami's amazing," Fukuda commented from the Seirin bench. "He's more than keeping him in check. He's not losing to him at all. Looks like his practice is paying off."

Kamiko, who was nearby, apparently observing any openings in the opposing team, if they were even present, heard Fukuda. She recalled the first conversation she had with Kagami on the first day about him decided to beat the Generation of Miracles and Uncrowned Kings and be the best player in Japan.

_"__Based from your play earlier today, you wouldn't have reached their feet. Like I said, you'll be crushed in an instant at your current level." _

_"__I can sense something, hidden inside you. It has long been there, but it needs you to develop it. I can guide you, but you must be the one to find the answer yourself. That's how I'll make you the best player in Japan."_

The sky-bluenette sighed inwardly. '_Was I too naïve to choose him out of many?' _she thought. _'That he won't change, unlike the others?'_

_Kamiko, trust your guts._

The voice that she hasn't heard in a while spoke in her subconscious, causing the sky-bluenette to smile a little.

_'__It's been a while, Akkiko. Where did you run into?'_

* * *

The match continued and Seirin's play seemed to only grow in intensity whilst the Shinkyo team seemed to be growing more tired and frustrated with the points growing into a close rather than further apart.

The game score is now at 51-60, with Seirin in the lead and five minutes to go to the end of the fourth quarter.

Riko, who was watching the match, grew concerned. _'We can't afford to cut this one loose!' _she thought, turning her attention towards Kamiko, who was currently in the court. "Miko-chan! Is five minutes enough for you to go do your thing?"

Kamiko, who was crouching in defense position, heard Riko, as the sky-bluenette briefly glanced at the short brunette. "Actually, I've been ready for quite awhile," she said with a faint smirk and the short brunette flushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry! Go!"

Kamiko's plays were now back, powered up, along with the intensity that was once present during the first quarter. She passed the ball straight to Mitobe after stealing the ball from the opposing team.

_'__She's been waiting for the right time to do so,'_ Riko observed as Kamiko made a run down the court to defend.

"Damn it! There she is again!" A Shinkyo player grumbled as they got the ball stolen from them for-god-knows-how-many times.

"What's going on with those passes?" Tanimura demanded.

"Don't let your guard down until it's over!" Hyuuga commanded. "Let's get them!"

The ball was once again passed to Papa, who was currently being guarded by Kagami, much to the foreign player's annoyance. "No! I don't want to lose!" He jumped up and again tried to shoot the ball, but Kagami was quick to stop him.

"You said you were disappointed in the Generation of Miracles and the Uncrowned Kings, but you overestimate yourself! Compared to you, they're way stronger!" Kagami roared as he took his chance, jumping into the air, finally managing to knock the ball out of mid-air as the buzzer went off, signaling the end of the match.

The referee blew on the whistle sharply, announcing the end of the match. "Game over!" Announcing the game score of 67-79, with the victor being Seirin High School, much to Seirin's delight.

The four-eyed green haired male, who has been present by the sidelines, smirked to himself before leaving the arena.

* * *

After the two teams have showered, and were packing up, Papa walked over to Kagami who was packing up his stuff as well.

"I lost," Papa said solemnly, much to Kagami's confusion. Kamiko, who was next to the redhead, watched this scene with a raised brow. "Please play hard for me in your next game too."

Kagami was confused, not knowing how to respond, but he managed to reply, "Yeah, sure."

Two seconds after that had Kagami wanting to punch Papa's face in as the foreign student shouted, "Ba-ka! Moron, I won't lose next time!" To that, Tanimura simply dragged him away quickly before Kagami could punch Papa for real.

* * *

_Sei calling…_

Kamiko looked up from her iPod in surprise as she saw the name in her phone calling. She slipped her iPod into her bag as she answered the call with a smile. "Sei." She looked at her duffel bag, picking it up to place it on her lap.

_"__So you've won the first three matches, Kami. Congratulations."_ The redhead's smooth voice echoed into the line.

The sky-bluenette giggled softly, and that sound had made him smile through the phone. It has been a while since he's heard her giggle and somehow it never failed to amaze him, as the sound was melodious to hear unto his ears. "Thanks but I don't think you would only be calling me just to congratulate me, Sei." She said, making him snort at the comment then.

Akashi wasn't particularly interested in anything by then, but he heard the obvious signs of fatigue on the other line and grew concerned. _"You sound tired. How did the matches go?"_

"Seirin made it through our first game of the preliminaries," Kamiko answered, leaning against the back rest of the bench. "Our second game was against Jitsuzen High that we won at 118 to 51." She looked at her fingers as she counted. "The only time I was benched was during the third game against Kinga High," She puffed her cheeks in annoyance, almost forgetting that her best friend couldn't see it.

_"__Kinga, huh?"_ Akashi mused. _"They are the school that ranked in last year's top 16, one of those schools that had a good balance of offense and defense."_

Kamiko smiled and nodded. "Right, but it didn't stop Seirin from beating them with the game count 92 to 71."

Akashi continued. _"You don't sound particularly happy being benched at the third game,"_ he teased and Kamiko rolled her eyes. _"Did you just roll your eyes on me, young lady?" _He mused warningly, causing the girl to widen her eyes in surprise. "_You should be happy I'm not physically present or I would have to gauge your eyes out."_

The girl gasped in mock horror. "You wouldn't dare hurt your beloved best friend!"

To that, the redhead chuckled lightly. _"I'm glad you know that quite well. I should go. Good luck on your next match, Kami."_

* * *

As the fourth match in the Inter High preliminaries, Seirin High had beaten Meijo Academy into a pulp, with the game count 108 to 41.

Riko marked out the chart listing of the schools that are currently participating in the Inter High, and she froze when she saw just who their future opponents might be if they continued winning all their matches.

"We're doing well," Kawahara commented.

"At this rate, maybe we'll make it through the preliminaries all the way to the championship league," Fukuda said.

"How naïve," Izuki groaned.

"It must be nice being so young and carefree," Koganei commented, oblivious to the weird looks from the rest of his team at that. Wasn't he just a year older than the freshmen?

Seeing no one about to explain the situation, Hyuuga took over. "For the last ten years, the same three schools have moved onto the championship league from Tokyo," he explained. "King of the East, Shutoku. King of the West, Senshinkan. King of the North, Seiho. They're evenly matched, so the top team changes every year, but they never let anyone else get better than fourth place. They're the three immobile kings of Tokyo. After our fifth match, are the semi-finals, then the finals, we'll likely come up against…" Kamiko knew what Hyuuga is about to say. "… the King of the East, Shutoku, that had acquired Midorima Shintaro of the Generation of Miracles."

Upon hearing Midorima's name, Kamiko tensed up, an action that caught Kagami's attention. Kamiko stared at her left hand, slowly clenching it into a fist.

"But you guys made it into the championship league last year, didn't you?" Kawahara asked.

"Yeah, but we didn't stand a chance," Hyuuga admitted at last, seeing the dark looks being reflected on the faces of his second year teammates. _'Big understatement of the year.'_ He sighed inwardly, recalling their terrible defeat last year after the loss of their team's ace. _'But we have new manpower.' _He glanced at Kagami and Kamiko. _'So we might just stand a chance against the kings this year.'_

_'__Our seniors definitely aren't weak, but…'_ Kagami frowned to himself in deep thought. He knew the strength of his seniors in Seirin, given the fact that he actually trained and played with them every single day. He knew that they are in no way weak, but to actually have the 'three kings of Tokyo' defeating them? How strong are those schools?

"Look."

"They're here."

There were mutterings from around the court just then and the entire Seirin team looked up only to see a certain team making their way onto the court.

"Looks like they came," Hyuuga said grimly and next to him, Riko nodded.

"It's better to see something for yourself than hear about it," The short brunette said. She then stood up. "Freshmen, prepare yourselves. You're going to see something amazing today." She grinned at the freshmen. "They're supposed to be even more amazing this year." _'Well, I'm not surprised after they've manage to acquire a member of the Generation of Miracles.' _Riko thought to herself as she eyed the orange jerseys of the Shutoku team. "One of the three kings of Tokyo, Shutoku High."

Kamiko glanced over at the after mentioned team like her teammates, but her gaze fell on the green haired teen in their midst, who is carrying a teddy bear wearing a karate uniform in his left hand for some reason, seemingly oblivious to the amused stares coming from the surrounding audience. His team, however, wasn't so oblivious and some of them seemed ready to dig a hole to hide themselves from embarrassment.

The cheerleaders for Shutoku High broke into a chant as they made their way slowly onto the court and Seirin watched on solemnly. "Here they are," Izuki murmured.

Kagami then grinned, a sudden wild idea forming in his head. "I'm going to go say hi," he said, making his way over to Shutoku's side.

"Sure…" Hyuuga answered absentmindedly, whilst Kagami's words hadn't really sunk into his brain until the redhead had left his team's bench. "Hey!"

Kamiko followed Kagami's movements with her eyes and noticed that Midorima seemed to have seen him approaching, his eyes resting on her for only a moment before turning back to Kagami. The two teens then stood standing face-to-face with each other, making Kamiko sigh. She's hoped that Kagami wouldn't start a brawl in the middle of a public court, thus getting Seirin disqualified from the Inter High tournament.

Midorima doesn't sugarcoat his words, something that Kise can stand witness to, since the blonde had bore the burnt of Midorima's blunt words for two straight years.

"Hey," Kagami said as he stood in front of the Shooting Guard and Midorima frowned. "You're Midorima Shintaro, aren't you?"

"Yes, but who are you?" Midorima asked, despite already knowing who Kagami is.

From behind the shooter, Takao Kazunari snickered to himself as he watched the two. _'You know who he is. Why are you acting so proud?'_

"Hand shake?" Midorima raised a brow as Kagami held out his hand without saying a word. The redhead smirked and as Midorima held out a hand in response, Kagami had taken out a marker from out of nowhere and wrote 'Seirin Number 10, Kagami Taiga' across the green haired male's left palm. This sudden action was enough to anger the usually calm and composed green haired teen.

"You look like the kind of guy who'd claim he doesn't remember me if I introduced myself normally," Kagami explained and Kamiko had to stifle back her laughter. The blonde would have laugh himself into a coma if he knew that Kagami had done what he himself had failed during his two years in Teiko—making Midorima lose his usual calm composure. "I want the guy who I'm about to take revenge on for my seniors to remember me."

Midorima looked annoyed as he adjusted his glasses. "Revenge? You're rather reckless, aren't you?" He scoffed.

"You're from Seirin, aren't you?" Takao asked with a grin as he approached the two, standing by Midorima's side. "Haven't your seniors told you anything? Last year, the three kings destroyed Seirin when they tripled their score."

Kagami was taken aback at this and a look at the second years sitting on Seirin's bench confirmed the truth.

"Say what you want, but the difference in strength is absolute," Midorima said. "Even if we meet again in the championship, history will only repeat itself."

"I doubt that." Hearing a sudden voice so close to them caused Midorima to jump slightly, startled, accidentally losing hold of his bear for just an instant that caused the said bear to fly towards the direction of the new voice. Having been used to catching fast flying objects, Kamiko caught the bear flying towards her easily with her right hand. As Midorima quickly held out to receive his bear, allowing Kamiko to drop the fuzzy creature into the palm of his hand. "Instinct," Kamiko explained in answer to Midorima's unanswered question, relieving inwardly that Midorima took the bear before she actually dropped it in front of her entire team. "You can only hypothesize based on the past. You won't know what will really happen until you play, Shinta-kun."

Midorima narrowed his eyes at his old friend and instructor. "Kamiko…" he muttered, his eyes softening only a slight fraction as he laid eyes on her. "It seems like I really can't get along with you when it comes to basketball, huh…" He stated. "I can never tell what you're thinking especially from your eyes. There is plenty that I would like to say to you, but telling you now would be meaningless. Come to the finals first of all."

There was a tense silence surrounding the two former teammates before Takao broke it by walking up to Kamiko and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, much to Midorima's annoyance. "You've got a mouth on you!" Takao grinned. "You're one of those, aren't you? You went to the same middle school with Shin-chan, right?" Kamiko blinked at the nickname. She knew that out of many names, _that_ is what Midorima detest the most.

"We don't go to the same middle school, but I drop by whenever to play with them," The sky-bluenette clarified as she politely shook off Takao's arm that was around her then. "Sorry, but I don't appreciate too much physical contact." As she said that, Midorima inwardly sighed at her smart response.

Only a blind man or someone utterly dense can see the obvious crush that Teiko's Captain and the Ace, even the Small Forward had on the Hanzo's only girl basketball player, as she was the Captain, Point Guard AND Ace in her team. Kamiko, however, was as oblivious to the matters of the heart as usual, since she was seemingly only focused on training and academics. The green haired male did wonder back in middle school that she's going to choose once she's learned of their affections for her.

"How long are you going to keep talking?" Shutoku's captain, Otsubo Taisuke shouted from their bench. "Get ready!"

"Looks like Miko-chan really gave them an earful." Riko remarked.

"Who cares?" Hyuuga shrugged. "It's not like she didn't say anything that we weren't thinking."

Takao had already made his way over to Shutoku's bench, but Midorima didn't move from his place at all, merely starting down at Kamiko without saying anything, ignoring Kagami. Finally, the green haired teen's face broke into a small genuine smile. "I only have Kise's word for it, but I'm glad to see that you look well," he told her. His emerald eyes then glanced at the blue arm spandex around her right arm and back at Kamiko's face with a brow raised. Kamiko only gave him a small smile and Midorima nodded. "I see. Well, prepare yourself, Kamiko." He then turned and just before he walked away, he added as his smile was replaced with a frown. "I shall show you just how naïve your thinking is."

* * *

The cheers of 'Shutoku' were nearly deafening the entire gymnasium and Seirin's players were all gathered on the bleachers with the other spectators, eager to watch Shutoku's next match against Kinka.

Shutoku's match against Kinka had begun and Kamiko who was standing with the rest of her team watched as Shutoku easily dominated over the other team, leading with a game count of 38 to 8.

"They're already thirty points ahead with four minutes left in the second quarter." Riko observed. "I'm not surprised."

"They're not doing anything that differently from us." Kawahara noted. "But they make it look so easy. I wonder why?"

"Because they don't make mistakes." To that, everyone turned their attention towards the Seirin captain. "In basketball, the ball's always moving back and forth at high speeds. Without exception, strong schools always have solid basics like passing, handling, and running." The buzzer when off below them, signaling the end of the second quarter. "They make it look easy because their fundamentals are solid, but those are only the fundamentals. Naturally, there's another reason. It's because…"

On the court, Otsubo caught the ball as it rebounded and dunked it back into the goal, knocking over two players from the opposing team as he did so.

"… They have a flawless scorer." Hyuuga finished.

"What an amazing dunk!" Kawahara said in amazement.

"Is he really a high schooler?" Furihate asked in disbelief.

"He's gotten even stronger," Riko commented rather grimly as Hyuuga nodded solemnly.

"We couldn't do anything about him last year," the Seirin captain said.

"He's five out of five so far," Kagami stated, standing beside Kamiko as he watched Midorima's plays. "Looks like Midorima's playing well."

"Is that right?" Kamiko mused.

"I don't know!" Kagami was taken aback at this. "Shouldn't you know?"

"I don't know," The sky-bluenette admitted as the Seirin team paid close attention to her words. "I've never seen him miss." The redhead blinked. "Not even once."

Down on the court, Midorima had gained possession of the ball as he was currently standing near the center of the court, preparing his stance. "This is why you cannot win." And the ball left his hands, spiraling upwards in a high arc across the court.

"What does that mean, Karadai?" Kagami demanded. "You've never seen him miss? Does that mean that Midorima…" He trailed off slowly, realization dawning on his face.

Kamiko nodded. "Shinta-kun plays Shooting Guard, unlike Ryota who plays Small Forward," she explained. "He is a specialist at shooting. There's no way that he would miss." She turned her attention back towards the court. _'While I was teaching Ryota his basics, I taught Shinta-kun the tricks on his natural ability, leaving the rest up to him.'_

Kagami was about to ask something when he noticed the high arc that Midorima's shot had taken and his eyes widened.

"What's with the high arc?" Hyuuga gulped. "Most people won't have any sense of distance shooting like that."

On the court, Midorima had already started making his way down the court. "Let's head back, Takao," Midorima ordered and Takao hurried after his friend. "We're on defense."

"If you miss, I'll get yelled at, too!" Takao whined.

"Don't be stupid, Takao. I follow fate. I do everything I can. That is why I never miss my shots." Midorima finished as the ball went into the basket, earning Shutoku another three points. _'Though, a certain sky-bluenette was the one who helped nurture my natural ability.'_

"As long as Shinta-kun doesn't lose his form, he makes 100% of his shots," Kamiko explained calmly to her shocked team who had obviously never seen a shooting specialist at work before.

"That's just not fair." Koganei whined.

"He's heading back to defend before he even makes his shot." Tsuchida remarked. "He's impossible to counter." Mitobe nodded in agreement and Kamiko glanced briefly at her seniors.

"The time until he actually makes his shot is abnormally long," Riko analyzed. "It's really mentally draining."

As the match went on, Kamiko could see that the opposing team is starting to lose hope that they would actually beat Shutoku. Hyuuga frowned. _'He really is amazing,' _he thought. _'Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?' _He then stopped dead and glanced at Kamiko, who currently had her attention on the match, remembering the same abnormal feeling when Kamiko first came in then Kise—both from two different legendary teams. _'Could Midorima be hiding something even more ridiculous?' _He wondered.

Back on the court, Midorima took shot after shot and like what Kamiko stated, he never missed a single one. Thus, when the buzzer for the end of the fourth quarter went off, it was an overwhelming victory for Shutoku High, with the game count being 153 to 21. As Midorima was slowly making his way towards the bench before he paused in his step and looked up at the bleachers where Seirin was standing, staring directly at Kamiko, ignoring Kagami who was just right next to her. Kagami noticed just who Midorima was staring at and bristled slightly.

Kamiko rubbed her right arm gently.

* * *

Hyuuga opened the gymnasium doors for his team. "Okay, let's go home—" Before the captain could finish his sentence, Riko smacked not only him but also the rest of the second years, thus sending the entire group of second years flying towards the ground.

"We've got another game today!" Riko scolded them. "Are you that stupid?"

"I was kidding," Hyuuga picked himself up from the floor with a groan. "The mood just seemed really gloomy."

"Everyone checked the tournament bracket," Izuki added.

"What?" Kagami said confused, this being news to him. "We have another game? Seriously?"

Riko looked ready to kill the oblivious redhead for not being alert that there is another game that day and Kamiko groaned to herself, wondering for-god-knows-how-many-times just what she saw in the redhead to actually pick him out of everyone.

"Kagami…"

"You are really stupid, Bakagami!" Riko shouted at the redhead, shoving up the tournament bracket chart into his face. "Check the bracket! We play two games on the day of our fourth game and the last day! Our fifth game starts at 5pm!"

"Two games in one day are too much," Koganei complained as Kagami took the chart from his face and examined it.

"Yeah, even if we get a break, we're still tired." Izuki agreed.

"The semi-finals and finals are both in one day?" Kagami blinked, glancing down at the tournament chart in his hand. "Does that mean we're playing a game before we play Shutoku?" He then froze as he noticed something. "Coach, the three kings are Shutoku and …"

Riko nodded, grateful that Kagami is slowly catching on. "Seiho and Senshinkan," she added. "On the last day, our semi-finals opponents will most likely be Seiho. We'll play Shutoku in the finals. We're playing against two of the kings in a row."

Just as the rest of the team turned panicked mode, except Kamiko, a new voice piped in. "That's fine. I've seen how Kami-nee and the rest of you play in your first three or four matches. You'll do great." And to that, everyone jumped out of their skins as they heard a sudden new voice talking, eventually turning their attention towards an oddly familiar male bluenette, whose impassive face was unusually similar to someone they know. Meanwhile, Kamiko has known this from the start. "I already told you not to scare people off anymore, Tetsu." She shrugged as she glanced at her brother. "I guess it can't be helped."

"EH? A GHOST?" Hyuuga paled so as Izuki and Koganei at the sight of the boy before them.

Kagami blinked in confusion as he was still staring at the male bluenette, who stood beside Kamiko. As then, a look of recognition dawned on his face. "Ah! You're Karadai's younger brother, Kuroko Tetsuya… right?"

"Heeeeh? Ne, Kami-nee, you told him about me? That's a first," Tetsuya monotone, as he gestured to the redhead as the male bluenette was tugging on Kamiko's sleeve. As the rest of them recovered from their shock, Koganei glanced at Hyuuga then, probably remembering the talk they had _that _day; the talk about Kamiko's family tree.

_'__The fact that they move like phantoms… although this boy's presence is relatively weaker compared to Kamiko, making it more possible for anyone to be caught unaware…' _Hyuuga thought.

Kamiko just sighed, patting her brother's head with a gentle smile on her face. "So you were watching then." Tetsuya's bored look broke into a faint smile and nodded, however, that expression on the said boy turned grim, as he turned to face the team.

"The three kings have strong players in offense and defense," The male bluenette spoke, catching everyone's undivided attention then, particularly Riko and Hyuuga. "But no matter how strong or fast or even fluid they are, there's always an opening in their players or even the entire team. Like me, Kami-nee is exceptionally observant when it comes to those kinds of stuff. She's not named the Phantom Queen or even the Raging Demon for nothing," he sighed lightly and Riko looked as if she was deep in thought. "I can help out behind the scenes, if that's fine. After all, two analytical heads are better than one."

"What did you say your name was, again?" The short brunette asked the male bluenette, who just met her eyes with his blanks blue eyes.

"Kuroko Tetsuya, Kami-nee's younger brother."

As Kamiko and Tetsuya arrived back home that night, Tetsuya silently went straight to the bathroom, being the first to freshen up as the female sky-bluenette wasn't as exhausted as her teammates. As she had the advantage of having already been involved in National-class matches during her time in Hanzo, and had the previous training to deal with it all.

Akashi's words were ringing in her head.

_Your speed is one factor that had always helped your team in the past, though it was a slight disadvantage to our part. I can say one thing though. Even if you can go half-strength against others and won, when Seirin ever faces Rakuzan in the near future, you might not want to hope to beat me, Kami._

"Tetsu! I have to go out for a while. Don't wait for me okay?" She voiced out then, only receiving a faint 'Okay, Kami-nee. Take care.' Kamiko rubbed at her right arm before pulling out her duffel bag with her ready things and went out of her apartment to a nearby basketball court to practice.

* * *

Facing towards the night-life of Kyoto from his balcony, the strawberry crown, barefooted, dressed in his white pristine shirt and beige loose pants, knitted his brows together in concentration as soon as the distressed look on Kamiko's face earlier back in his auntie's restaurant popped up in his head.

He knew he needn't warn her of the consequences if she ever does go only half-strength against others; against him, especially. He knew that she knows that from the front to back. He's only worried for her, more than he should.

The strawberry crown let out a small sigh as he ran his fingers through his messy hair, messing it even more, but at the moment, he didn't care. Out of all logical reasons to why she looked that way, he only got two.

One, he doesn't look like it but he's worried about history repeating itself the second time; for Kamiko, at least. Akashi is sure to kill anyone if she gets hurt. He might overreact, he knew that, but he couldn't continue living if he fails to protect her _again. _

And two…

_Ding ding!_

"Tsk," he clicked his tongue in irritation, knowing who it clearly was, but as a decent guy he is, he pushed himself away from the balcony to check on his phone which was lying on his table. A few seconds later after checking what the message was, he pushed more buttons on his phone before placing it against his ear.

After two rings. _"Well? What did you do that caused her to go out here tonight to shoot baskets?"_

"I did nothing to her," Akashi smoothly replied to the person on the other end. "I merely warned her of what would happen if she continues using her half-strength against the rest of _them."_

To that, there was a long pause before the receiver spoke. _"You're guilty, aren't you?"_

Akashi clenched his jaw, gripping on his phone a little tightly before answering. "I believe I did not call you to tell me that, Shu."

A soft chuckle was heard on the line. _"So you are guilty." _ A pause. _"Anyway, I'll check up on her before you come back here and kill me if I saw another word about you being guilty—Oops! Bye!"_

With that, the line went dead, with the strawberry crown pulling the phone away from his ear to stare at it blankly before flipping it closed and looked towards his open balcony.

"… Am I?"


	14. Chapter 10

_Huff. Huff. Huff._

The heavy sounds of someone being out of breath could almost be heard loud and clear in the empty street basketball court. Dusk has already fallen and the only lights present are the street lamps that lit up the basketball court.

"Shouldn't you be resting in preparation for your match with Seiho and Shutoku?

She held up the ball in her left hand, looking at it, then at her uninvited visitor who was leaning against the metal fence casually in his faded jeans and white v-neck shirt; a duffel bag sitting right beside his right lower calf. "I'm fine. At least I know that I didn't lose my speed and I can still manage some parts of my old style, even though I still can't shoot properly. I only dunk with my right hand, which so far the one of the few things that I can control my right arm with." _'How much longer will it be before I can play like before with my left hand?'_

The unknown male shook his head gravely and sighed. "Have I told you that you're so stubborn?" To that, Kamiko looked at him with jaws set.

"Have I told you that I didn't ask for your ever-so-nice opinion?" She bit back, apparently causing the male to chuckle lightly.

"Look, Princess. I'm more than worried if you're pushing yourself like this," the strawberry blonde male muttered as he walked over to her, motioning for her to pass to him the ball, which Kamiko did it in the process. "If you're worried that your current style won't work against Seiho or Shutoku, you're wrong. It will, since I know how you've been working hard for it."

The sky-bluenette then wiped her sweaty face with the neckline of her dark shirt as she faced him; the same strawberry blonde whom she saw during the practice match against Kaijo. "I may or may not be worried about my current style to work against Shinta-kun or Seiho," she stated, as her voice was muffled as she covered her face half through her inside shirt. "Passing and shooting aren't the only things that I'm capable of in basketball," Kamiko said clearly as she made a quick lay over, stealing the ball from him, and shoots through the basket.

She didn't need to hear his answer, since she knows that he already knew. The Generation of Miracles and Uncrowned Kings, even outside both teams, knew how scary and demon-like Kamiko's original play style could be. Her current style is effective in plays, but everyone have agreed that her old original style brings out her full power—the power of a raging demon. Her old style actually reflects the actual meaning behind her name 'Karadai'. Kamiko's current play style only brings out half, even less, of what she is actually capable.

The name _'Akuma reinjingu' _isn't just for show.

"If you are too tired tonight, you might not be able to sleep soundly," Asahina Shu just said as he took out his water bottle from his own duffel bag to pass the bottle to the sky-bluenette, who drank from it a little uncaringly. "You've grown… awful! You don't look like the princess I've made friends with in that playground," He teased and Kamiko glared at him, throwing the ball through his abdomen, catching him off-guard and the sharp impact made him groan in pain while clutching his abdomen.

"Hypocrite," the sky-bluenette said as she picked the ball then, staring at it as if she was in awe. Taking the ball with her right hand as she let it sit on her left forefinger, then spinning it flawlessly, she spoke once more. "Didn't you know your communication level is decreasing?" She stuck her tongue out playfully towards the strawberry blonde Kaijo runner.

To that, Asahina laughed in sarcasm, grimacing in pain in the process, and instead of letting it affect her, it made her roll her eyes at his behavior. The strawberry blonde male then eased his still aching abdomen as he walked towards her in a pace that stirred a look of curiosity in her facial features. As Asahina was only standing a few centimeters away from the girl, she blinked as her honey-glazed eyes finds his steely amethyst ones, making her inwardly gasp at how beautiful, scary, and… just captivating his eyes are; though, she will never admit them out loud.

The strawberry blonde only smirked knowingly as he raised his hand then, his forefinger gently touching the top of the spinning ball. Surprisingly, it stopped spinning as it only idly balanced on the sky-bluenette's forefinger then. The girl glanced at the idle ball then back at his blank handsome face and his knowing smirk, as she resisted the urge of wanting to wipe that smirk from his face.

_'__I wonder what he's thinking at the moment. I'm… nervous,' _She thought as she tilted her head in curiosity as she waited for him to speak up.

The boy, as he watched the girl tilting her head in curiosity, let out a barely audible sigh as he leaned closely as their faces were just centimeters then, staring into her honey-glazed eyes, his eyes softening at the sight of a certain spark that her eyes gives off ; that fire he recognized from childhood. To that, his eyes roamed slowly at the very details of her face, all the while wondering what on Earth had attracted him to her anyhow in all those years.

Kamiko, however, at his sudden closeness, unnoticeably flinched as his eyes somehow were 'tracing' her face. There was something about his eyes that gives her an odd kind of warmth, that tingles her insides and it's weird. She wondered how this was possible, that only his stare was enough to melt her, to silence her thoughts. What is he doing to her? Does he have any idea what he's doing to her?

"You know, staring is… very rude," the girl scrunched her nose in mock disgust, ignoring those facts as she tries to push his face with her free hand away, only to have her wrist caught by his slender calloused fingers, wrapping it with such gentleness she couldn't even describe. Her eyes snapped alert as she searched for an answer in his face, finding his smirk from moments ago was already replaced with a tender childish smile; the smile that she thought had long been forgotten but had helped her remember that it never hurts acting like a child once in a while.

The strawberry blonde moved back just a little, but the space between them was still limited. "I suppose I owe you a walk home and an explanation?" he looks at her thoughtfully, waiting patiently for her reply.

She inwardly shook her head as she fights a smile. _'You have no idea.'_

* * *

The regulars of the Seirin basketball team were all very relieved when the bell went for lunch break.

Every single one of them were practically falling asleep into their desks, with their bodies sore with muscle aches—the depressing result of playing two straight games in a row. The only player of the basketball team that actually managed to stay awake and still remained looking bright-eyed is only the sky-bluenette. The Seirin team knew that it is only because Kamiko had the advantage of already being involved in National standard games in middle school, having the stamina and training to deal with it.

Despite that, the sky-bluenette looked tired as the bell went for lunch break, as she munched on her medium-sized dumplings and two cup of cantons that Sayou had prepared for her. Kagami, who had the seat in front of her, was gobbling down about four or five deluxe size sandwiches in front of him, much to the astonishment of several of their classmates who stared at him eating.

"You're eating more than usual," Kamiko commented, watching the redhead wash down his meal with his carton of milk.

"I'm surprised that you eat like a guy," Kagami mused, turning to eye the 10 medium-sized dumplings and two cups of cantons sitting on Kamiko's desk.

"I don't really care. I eat and there's no stopping me and same goes to you, too," she lightly shrugged.

As he was about to bite back, he winced as he realized he pulled on a sore muscle. "Damn, I'm sore all over." He grumbled, rubbing at his shoulders. "I guess playing two matches in a row will do that to you."

"Kagami-kun! Miko-chan!" A familiar voice called out to the two freshmen from outside their classroom door just then. Kamiko turned only to see the coach of their basketball team standing just their door with two cartoon boxes in her arms.

"Good timing! Come with me."

* * *

And so, much to Kagami's dismay, he was saddled with the task of carrying a carton box whilst Kamiko was bringing the other, all the way to wherever their coach wanted it. With just how heavy that one box was, the redhead groaned, not really wanting to know just what is in the box. Knowing his coach, it's probably training weights or something similar.

He decided to glance at Kamiko, but much to his growing irritation, she was carrying the box like it was nothing at all! _'She must really be a guy then.' _Kagami inwardly groaned.

"I'm sore…" Groaning at the weight in his arms, he demanded then. "Are you an ogre? What's even in these boxes? Karadai carries hers as if it was a feather!" He added as he glanced at the sky-bluenette who is strolling with them just as casually.

"You want to make a maiden carry those boxes and you call yourself a man? That's your job," Riko giggled as she took a quick glance at the sky-bluenette, who was just silent. "Oh, she's… a maiden kind of knight. So! She's not any different from a man." To that, Kamiko sighed, for once, was unnoticeably irritable at her coach's tease.

"What? I don't see a maiden anywhere," Kagami deadpanned, only to be punched by Riko for his trouble.

"They're DVDs of this year's and last year's games from the clubroom," Riko answered, ignoring his stupidity all together. "They're for scouting, and the clubroom is so small. We're going to be playing two games in a row against the kings in the semi-finals after all. There's no such thing as over analyzing. Oh and, Miko-chan, will Kuroko-kun be joining us later?"

* * *

At Shutoku High School, Midorima Shintaro was looking at Takao as if he had just lost his mind.

"DVD?" Midorima peered at the jewel case in Takao's hand as if never seeing it before.

"Yeah, of Seiho," Takao grinned. "We're the only freshmen regulars and we don't know anything."

"I'm not interested."

"Just because that Kamiko girl and Kagami aren't on it, don't be like that," Takao whined, ignoring Midorima's glare on his person for saying Kamiko's name so casually. "These are the guys to beat in the finals. Besides, we're off today and it's not like you have anything better to do."

"No," Midorima admitted reluctantly.

"It's decided then." The black-haired teen grinned in triumph.

Midorima's left eye twitched in annoyance. "Hey."

* * *

Back at Seirin, Kagami was twitching as he watched Kamiko popped the DVD that they have found in the locker room into the DVD player.

The coach had decided to let them off training that day to ease up on their sore muscles, much to their relief. As the DVD was about to play, a knock from the door was heard, causing the sky-bluenette and the redhead to turn their attention from the screen towards the male bluenette, who apparently just got there.

"It's on," Tetsuya said as Kamiko gestured for him to sit down on the bench beside him, watching the preliminaries game of Seiho versus Kitawada.

"I see," Midorima said with a frown as he watched the game play by Seiho. Their players were particularly aggressive in defense, not even allowing their opponents to get past them. Before the Kitawada player in possession of the ball even realizes what is going on, another Seiho player had already stolen it from him. "I can see why they are considered one of the kings. Their defense is especially strong." He remarked. The green haired then narrowed his eyes at the bald Seiho player on screen. "Just…"

"Their movements are kind of weird." Kagami said with a frown. "I mean…"

Next to him, Kamiko, who had her chin resting on her left hand, frowned slightly. _"I'd never thought that I'll actually get to face this guy again,' _she thought, glancing at the bald Seiho player on screen. _'His defense technique is at the National level. It won't be easy to get past him, like what Kotaro had found out during middle school.'_

Tetsuya was silently watching the Seiho's players carefully; their movements and performance, mentally calculating the time limit step-by-step. _'I'd admit that they're exceptionally strong on defense. Though, there are a number of openings in it…'_

Kagami frowned. _'Their rhythm is different,' _he thought to himself. _'What is this feeling?'_

* * *

"I forgot to mention, but this school holds special practices," Takao commented. "I don't know how they do it, but their mobility is exceptional. They run the best defense in Tokyo," He rewinds the disc before replaying it again, even as Seiho Player 10 appeared on screen.

* * *

"This bald guy's defense is especially tough," Kagami commented.

Kamiko was silent for several moments as she watched the video. "I know this guy," she said at last, as Kagami turned towards her in surprise, while Tetsuya was concentrating on the video playing. "I played against him once in middle school during second year. He's the one who was marked against Kotaro, and he managed to stop him. I've seen him also when his team played against the Generation of Miracles. He was able to stop Ryota as well."

Kagami was taken aback at that comment. _Stopped_ a member of the Uncrowned Kings and the Generation of Miracles? How good is this guy?

* * *

"To be honest, I do not particularly wish to go against him," Midorima admitted, having taken an instant dislike to the bald guy like his former teammates the last time when he had played against him back in middle school. He also remembered the time as the whole of the Generation of Miracles, except Aomine, watched Hanzo's match against the said guy's team back then. The fact that Tsugawa had forced Kise and Kamiko's former teammate into committing a foul is only part of the reason why both legendary teams had disliked him. The main reason, however, was the **look** that he had given Kamiko at that time. Akashi looked as if he would like nothing better than to rip him apart back then.

"But you're the only one who can take him," Takao told his friend. "Their defense is good on a National level. They might even be able to stop you." He joked, much to Midorima's annoyance.

The video then ended with the sound of the buzzer going off, with Seiho clinching a victory against Kitawada, with a game count of 71-12.

"It's over. Seirin won't be able to overcome this wall. Sorry, but we're going to have to play these guys in the finals. Keep that in mind."

Midorima was silent for a long time. Like all of his former teammates in Teiko, most especially her former teammates in Hanzo, Kamiko is not someone who will just roll over and give up like this, despite how overwhelming odds would be. In the end, she is still a regular to one of two legendary basketball teams. Midorima knew that there is still a chance for Seirin, no matter how little it is, to beat Seiho, especially if Kamiko is involved.

Midorima clenched his left hand slowly into a fist. Despite himself, he can't help but feel excited. He is still a member of the Generation of Miracles, and he thirsted for challenge. Kamiko is the type of player that evolves and changes with every battle and match. There are several reasons why she is the only girl playing on an **all-boys**' team like Hanzo.

If she managed to retain some aspects of her old style…

"I know…"

* * *

Currently, the entire team was doing their usual warm ups on the court, along with the other teams that were also scheduled for a match that day, with Shutoku among them. It was Seirin's match then against Seiho.

Kamiko was dribbling the ball on the court slowly, staring at her right arm that was covered with a blue full-arm spandex then. She flexed her right arm then, outstretching it at arm's length. To that, she felt a faint jab of pain at her right shoulder then as she immediately darted her left hand over it, hence, dropping the ball.

_Again?_

Kamiko hissed, as she placed a hand on her hip, inhaling and exhaling slowly then, just to calm her down. She still lacked control over her right arm, left alone her right shoulder muscles that actually hold her right arm and hand. What she can manage with her left hand now isn't at her left hand's standard, so even if she can use some aspects of her old style with her left hand, it won't be as powerful as what she can achieve with her right hand.

As if she felt as if she was watched, she looked up the audiences, then catching sight of a male sky-bluenette that stood up from the rest. It was her younger brother then.

"You're staring down the wrong guy, idiot."

The sky-bluenette heard Hyuuga spoke, causing her to look at the four-eyed captain who apparently almost twisting the redhead's head off as he was 'busy' having a staring contest with Midorima. "No matter how hard you stare, if we lose this next game, you'll look like an idiot." The captain told him sternly.

"I was just looking at him," Kagami protested. "Besides, I'm focused on our next game." He glanced at the court that was occupied by Seiho, their next opponents.

"Seiho seems more normal than I expected." Furihata Koki commented. "They don't have any really big guys."

"I suppose they are small for a National class team," Riko admitted. "Their biggest player would be their captain, Iwamura-kun."

The two freshmen standing near her immediately looked at the said captain who was taking his position for a basket. Fukuda Hiroshi measured his height mentally, comparing him to some of their seniors. "Is he about as tall as Mitobe-sempai?" he wondered. "He's pretty wide."

"He's so thick!" Furihata whimpered.

"Then there's their play maker, Kasuga-kun." Riko said, glancing over at the tall blonde at Seiho's side that is equivalent of Seirin's own point guard, Izuki. "Those two third years are the core of their team."

Kagami snorted as he heard that and turned away to practice his dunks when a voice called out to him.

"You're Kagami-kun, aren't you?" The redhead turned around only to see the same bald player that he, Tetsuya, and Kamiko had just been talking about in their locker room days ago, standing behind him; the one that the sky-bluenette had mentioned being the only player in history to stop both small forwards from both the Generation of Miracles and the Uncrowned Kings. "Your hair's so red! Scary!"

Kagami twitched at this comment. _'How about I show you some 'red'?'_ he seethed inwardly, glaring at the guy whom he is about to play in a matter of moments.

"Captain, this is the guy, right?" Tsugawa waved over to his own captain. "Seirin's really weak, but they have one strong guy!" He shouted, waving both his arms like flags. Seiho looked as if they wanted to dig a hole and bury themselves within it at their teammate's insanely loud voice and comments.

Meanwhile, Riko looked pissed off with irks then visible on her forehead. "You've done it now, you little shit," she growled to herself.

Kagami looked as if he wanted to strangle the guy and Kamiko sighed, placing an unusually strong grip on his shoulder, immediately attracting the redhead's attention. "Ignore him," she told him. "You can play him later and show him how good Seirin is."

Kagami might have flinched at the strong impression that she left on his shoulder after she withdraw her hand then. He realized by then that the force on her hand just now was strong enough to pull a guy like himself, no matter how big or tall a person would be. The redhead grinned at her words, his anger disappearing in an instant at that.

For some reason, Kamiko can always make Kagami cool his head down, no matter how pissed off he is. The entire team, Hyuuga and Riko particularly, were always thankful for this 'talent' of Kamiko's, especially when the redhead's anger reared its ugly head during matches.

"Damn right!"

Tsugawa noticed Kamiko standing next to Kagami just then, cocking his head to one side curiously. The bald player stared at the sky-bluenette for a long time, making her extremely uncomfortable, though there were no signs of irritation in her features then. Tsugawa somehow felt as if he had seen this girl somewhere before, though he can't remember exactly when or where. Something in the back of his mind prickled at him though, something that told him that he is better off **not **remembering.

"Can I help you?" Kamiko asked at last, tired of being stared at, not to mention Kagami looked ready to kill the guy. Even sitting in the midst of the audiences, Tetsuya was silently vowing to rip the bald guy apart for eye-raping his older sister. Upon entering the door towards the top bleachers, a certain redhead waltzed into, just standing by the door. He hasn't had settled properly when he spotted an oddly familiar bald player on court, who looked as if he was talking to Kamiko. Immediately, he knew it wasn't something good as he looked as if he was ready to hunt the said guy this instant and choke him with his own bare hands.

Halfway across the court, Midorima was glaring at the oblivious Tsugawa, increasing the pressure on the ball that his is holding that the poor ball looks close to being flattened within his powerful hands.

"You're really pretty," Tsugawa grinned at Kamiko who blinked in confusion but just then somewhere inside her, a small bubble of being pissed off was present then. "You a player? Why don't you go out on a date with me once we win?"

Silence.

_"__Eh?"_

Kamiko was staring at him rather blankly whilst the two teams of Seirin and Seiho were both looking at Tsugawa as if he had just lost his mind. Was he in his right mind? He's actually asking for a **date** just before a match?

Meanwhile to some people, who apparently noticed a heavy atmosphere coming from the male sky-bluenette who was sitting beside them, Tetsuya growled to himself. _'You're a million light years away to even talk to Kami-nee, much more look to her.'_

Though, on the other hand, the hetero chromatic-eyed redhead wasn't any different from the male bluenette as he was busy plotting many ways to kill the guy, slowly but painfully.

Halfway across the court, Takao winced as he saw Midorima's furious expression that is rather reminiscent of a riled up dragon. "Shin-chan?" Takao squeaked rather weakly. Midorima ignored him, glaring at Tsugawa, as if he would like nothing better than challenge him in a game and flatten him.

"…I'm not even going to hesitate to kill him."

Kamiko shook her head at Tsugawa. "I'm honoured, but I have to decline that proposal," she said. "Unfortunately, you're not my type." To that, she got straight to the point then.

The rest of the Seirin team tried hard to stifle their chuckles behind her.

Kamiko's 'type' is a certain heterochromatic-eyed redhead, who used to belong to another opposing legendary basketball team, but another has been occupying her mind slowly. It was disappointing then, since, it's unclear up until, as whom she would really choose though.

"Oh come on!" Tsugawa whined. "Just one date!" Just as he was about to reach out and take her hand and Midorima was about to step in, a silver object flew straight like a bullet in between Kamiko and the bald player, narrowly missing Tsugawa by a mere inch. A silver scissors got embedded into the post of the basket then, trembling slightly. The bald player stared at it in fear. The green haired male widened his eyes in a slight fraction then, clearly knowing just **who** exactly was capable of something like **that**.

Kagami, who was on the verge of beating Tsugawa, stared at the embedded scissor that apparently appeared out of nowhere in surprise. _'Where the hell did that come from?!'_

Kamiko, on the other hand, glanced at the silver scissors, knowing full well that he was present then, even without really searching for him in the midst of the audience.

Tsugawa was twitching like mad now as a shallow cut across his cheek then was visible. He immediately scampered back to his team, grateful to escape from the 'danger zone.'

"What was that all about?" Kagami asked, taking out the scissor from the post by then, as he noticed Midorima on the other side of the court, looking visibly relieved as the green haired male sat back down on their bench. As the redhead caught sight of Kamiko nodding at something or **someone **in the audiences, watching her nodding her head then, he frowned.

"It's nothing," Kamiko replied simply.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kise and Kasamatsu were both currently dressed in their school uniforms as they came directly from school. As they were currently sitting in front, in full view of the court and the players from above, the blonde had a pair of earphones in his ears, listening to a recording of some sort on his phone. Kasamatsu sighed as he looked at the childish blonde, who reminded the Kaijo captain awfully of a child at time. A very young child.

"What are you looking at?" Kasamatsu asked rather grumpily, as for having been dragged by Kise to the match between Seirin and Seiho. Privately however, he is interested to know just how Seirin will fare against one of the three 'kings' of Tokyo, _and_, he couldn't admit it to anyone else, even to Kise, but he wanted to see the sky-bluenette play from the bleachers this time, since seeing it on court and off court are entirely different.

"A recording of this morning's Oha-Asa," Kise cheerfully replied. "It's their morning horoscope. When this thing's good, Midorimacchi's good."

Kasamatsu only rolled his eyes as this. "The guy from Teiko," he mused. "What's his sign?"

"Cancer," Kise replied. "Oh, and Mikocchi's a Libra." The blonde added cheerfully.

"I didn't ask," Kasamatsu grumbled, although he was inwardly thankful, now knowing what her sign was. On the other hand, he never really understand Kise's obsession over the only female regular of Hanzo's basketball team.

Kise turned his attention back towards his phone as he played the recording.

_"__First place goes to Cancer. Congratulations! You'll have no complains today! Libra, however, you'll play it rough taking over the first place."_

The blonde stopped moving then and Kasamatsu noticed this sudden change of mood from Kise. "What?" he asked in confusion.

Kise turned to face his senior. "It's… going to be rough for Seirin," he said, just some of his worries faded then about Seirin's chances against Shutoku.

* * *

When the incident, just moments ago, was forgotten then, the redhead, who was already present behind the scenes, was comfortable in his spot then, it being the best area to watch the matches.

Akashi Seijuro smiled to himself and had even dressed in casual clothing that day—a white shirt and a black jacket and dark jeans, just to avoid attention. He glanced at the empty basketball court then to the sky-bluenette, who was following the rest of her team closely behind, probably to hit the changing rooms. The game authorities then were readying the courts for the matches that will begin in a matter of moments.

_'__Well, it begins here.' _The former captain of the Teiko Basketball Club thought. _'The so called 'ultimate defense' against the 'Akuma reinjingu' , otherwise known as the Raging Demon."_

* * *

Kagami paused in his tracks as the entire Seirin team filed out of the changing room that they were allotted, all of them having been fired up by Riko's speech. The redhead turned only to see Kamiko standing at the door, seemingly deep in thought.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Have you ever hated basketball?" The sky-bluenette asked at last, recalling Hyuuga's words earlier in the locker room—how after Seirin's devastating defeat to the three kings the previous year, the players have all hated basketball so much that they've almost quit playing the game entirely.

Kagami was silent for a few moments before he shook his head. "No, I haven't."

"I have," Kamiko admitted. "I believe my reason was different from our seniors, but I know the feeling. They're cheerful now, but hating something you love is a painful feeling." She paused then, as Kagami was frowning now. "When I spoke to Shinta-kun, I told him that the past and the future aren't the same, but in the end, they're not completely separate," she continued then. "I think that this game is important for our seniors to get over the past."

The redhead grinned at Kamiko. "Is that why you're all gloomy now?" he asked and the sky- bluenette looked at him, surprised. "We're going to win, then we're going to beat Shutoku!" He declared. "It's no use just thinking about it! We just play."

Kamiko blinked, but in the end, she smiled. "Right."

* * *

A whistle blew out sharply.

"Charging! White 10!"

Over at Seirin's bench, Riko nearly face-palmed in exasperation. This match is just not going their way. Sure, they've already expected for the match to be tough, since Seiho definitely didn't get their name as one of the three kings for nothing, but no one in Seirin expected for the match to be this one-sided!

Kamiko glanced at the scoreboard. The game count is currently at 0-12, with Seiho in the lead and with one minute and twenty seconds more to go before the end of the first quarter. This isn't looking good…

"Kagami, you already have two fouls," the sky-bluenette pointed it out to the redhead as he twitched at the reminder. "Get five then you're out."

"I know that! Somehow, their movements are impossible to play against."

The sky-bluenette frowned as she faced the Seiho team then, remembering the conversation she had with Tetsuya just before the entire Seirin team was ready to go.

_"__No matter how strong a team's defense would be, there will always be openings, despite how small they are," Tetsuya explained to her then, as he picked the ball that was currently tucked under her arm._

_"__I know that obviously," Kamiko glanced at her brother, who was trying to spin the ball then in his forefinger, but to no avail. "Should I even look harder then?"_

_The male sky-bluenette shook his head and instead of spinning the ball, he settled with dribbling it. "You don't need to look even harder. It's already there. When push comes to shove, you just have to use what you know you have against them." Almost immediately and swiftly, he passed the ball to her then, which she caught it easily in the process. "Besides, your first name as the 'Phantom Queen' wasn't for nothing, right?"_

A look of realization dawned in her features then as she briefly glanced at where her brother was and quickly caught sight of him, with him waving like a kid going to candy store. Kamiko smiled a little as she turned her attention back to the Seiho team again. _'Their movements are somewhat familiar, though entirely different from that of other teams. And that Tsugawa guy…' _She glanced at the said player who seemed to have noticed her stare when he grinned and winked at her, causing Kagami to glare at the bald player. Midorima, who is playing on the opposite court, Tetsuya, who was sitting in his spot within the audience as usual, Sei, who is standing by the bleachers' exit, and Kise and Kasamatsu all sent death glares to the oblivious bald player. _'His movements are definitely different from middle school.'_

Meanwhile, Hyuuga was scowling. _'Seriously? I thought that the Generation of Miracles were the only ones who could shut down Kagami.'_

_'__We can't even pass.' _Riko thought nervously, glancing at Kamiko, whom she noticed that the sky-bluenette by then looked like she remembered something then the said girl glanced at the audience, eventually smiling as she focused her attention back to the opposing team. The short brunette raised an eyebrow to this. _'I wonder what card Miko-chan has in her sleeve right now.'_

As the ball was passed to Kamiko by Izuki, the sky-bluenette twitched in annoyance when she saw that every single one of her teammates were currently getting guarded by a Seiho player, leaving no openings for her at all.

Or so it seemed.

* * *

"Seiho's defense is man-to-man," Kasamatsu remarked, watching the Seirin versus Seiho match closely. "But this is no ordinary man-to-man. They're creating pressure by staying rights on their guys the whole time. You can't break away from them easily. No matter how good you are at passing, if no one's free, you're playing at half power."

"Their defense is strong, but they'll never last until the end of the game playing like that," Kise commented, his eyes trailing to his former instructor and best friend down on the court. _'Mikocchi's getting pissed.'_ He thought.

* * *

_'__So you're going to use it right now instead of saving it up to use it against Shutoku. Well, this is exactly the right time to do your own thing, Kami-nee,' _Tetsuya, on the other side, gave a small smile as he was watching Kamiko dribbling the ball, in a rather slow pace; one of the things that gets an opposing player to mentally be drained.

She slid one step forward using her left foot, bending her knees just about right as she was still slowly dribbling the ball.

_You don't need to look even harder. It's already there. When push comes to shove, you just have to use what you know you have against them. Besides, your first name as the 'Phantom Queen' wasn't for nothing, right?_

_I'll do the rest. Just say the word._

Kamiko smiled inwardly as she heard Akkiko then. In her current position, she breathed slowly and closed her eyes, abruptly halting her dribble by then, with that one movement getting noticed by all the players currently on the court. _'Speed.' _Just then, she snapped her eyes open, disappearing altogether.

Riko's eyes widened, along the every other.

No, not vanished. Like the short brunette had told the rest of the team on the first day, Kamiko is a quick foot, but this display just now was… much quicker than the speed of light and sound, and not one in the Seirin team was completely expecting like this. The sky-bluenette was moving so swiftly down the court while in possession of the ball, almost appearing like a blue phantom to anyone watching, passing through Seiho's defense like it was no big deal.

Kise, who was in the bleachers, was taken aback at this. _'Damn, isn't she faster than in middle school? I know that Mikocchi had always been the fastest out of both teams, but this... this is beyond human limits!' _He thought, shocked. _'T-This is why she's first called…'_

On the other court, Midorima's eyes widened in astonishment. _'T-That is…!' _he thought in shock, temporarily forgetting about his own game.

Akashi, who was leaning against the wall, raised his eyebrow. _'Part of her old style. Lycorax.'_

_'__It's way too early for any of you to start looking down on Seirin!' _Kamiko thought to herself, zooming down the court, with all the players unmoving from pure shock as she was moving so swiftly that it's beyond impossible to stop her.

"A-Are you serious?" Kasamatsu gaped. _'This is not ordinary!'_

"Stop her!" Iwamura shouted to his shocked team, but no one could seem to move.

Kagami, who is near the basket and currently being guarded by Tsugawa was as shocked as everyone else, but he felt himself snapping out of his shock when a hand grasped hold of his arm. Before he knew it, he is standing in front of the basket, unguarded. The ball appeared in front of him and Kagami caught it on instinct.

"Dunk."

Kagami looked over his shoulder, only to see a surprised Tsugawa now being guarded by Kamiko herself. There is a faint smile across the sky-bluenette's lips then and Kagami grinned and nodded, leaping into the air and scoring a dunk easily, thus earning Seirin their first basket.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Kasamatsu gaped, along with everyone as Riko called for time out. "Is that even possible?"

Kise smiled in his seat then, with it having been a long time since he had last seen Kamiko use this style. "It's been a while since I've seen her use her old style." The blonde commented. "That style was what gave her the first name 'Phantom Queen', and it eventually evolved, being given the current name 'Raging Goddess.' "

"Her old style? You mean she didn't always use the current style that she has?" Kasamatsu asked in confusion.

"Yeah," Kise nodded. "The Generation of Miracles' captain was the one who taught her current play style, having it digressed from her old style. Her original style is her own; a complete original; one that no one could use but her." Kise grinned. "Our Captain back then named the style 'Lycorax.'" He grinned at his bewildered captain. "It's a huge nightmare of every single one of the Uncrowned Kings' opponents back then, to face the god-like player when she had possession of the ball." Kamiko doesn't often score, as she deals alternatively in defense and offense back in the day, but when she does, there is just no way to stop her. As far as Kise knew, the only person who had stopped Kamiko's inhuman speed for the first time during _that_ match was the tanned male. "After all, how can you stop someone who plays like a vicious unfathomable demon?"

* * *

"Mitobe, he's yours!" Mitobe immediately headed towards Iwamura, who had possession of the ball, causing the Seiho captain to pass the ball over towards Tsugawa, who was standing nearby. Kagami immediately tried to block him, but was immediately awarded another foul.

"Foul! White 10!"

Hyuuga paled. _'Isn't this the third one already?' _He thought in dismay, his mind reeling over what Riko had told them during time out—that Seiho incorporated old martial arts into their basketball. _'On top of it, Kamiko won't be using that technique until later.'_

_"__You won't be using it again?" The entire team echoed, staring at Kamiko. "Why not?"_

_Kamiko looked back at her team. "It's a high speed technique that eats up a lot of my stamina, no matter how high my stamina level would be. If I use it consecutively, I might not be able to last by the time we face Shutoku High." The sky-bluenette stood up from the bench, a towel hanging on her shoulder. "I'll be fine…" _'I still have something planned under my sleeve. I just have to find the right time to do it.'

"I thought Seirin's engine was finally running when Kagamicchi scored their first basket, but they haven't managed to take another step," Kise remarked, leaning with his chin against his hand.

"You can't call yourself a king just for playing good defense," Kasamatsu pointed out. "Their offense is exceptional, too." Kise only hummed as Kasamatsu leaned back into his chair as his attention was on the sky-bluenette, who was currently looking dead focused on the court; the look that he haven't seen from the practice match that was Seirin versus Kaijo. "Seiho isn't a team of prodigies, as they incorporate old martial arts into their offense, too. They're a team of experts," he glanced over at Kasuga and Iwamura.

Kise looked interested at those words, glancing over at Kamiko. "There are some experts on Seirin, too." He commented with a smile.

* * *

A whistle went off.

"Out of bounds! White ball!" The referee called out, with the game count currently at 8-15, with Seiho in the lead.

"That's a first," Tsugawa frowned to himself, walking down the court, not really paying attention to where he was walking until he bumped into someone. "Hmm?" He looked just a little down to see the pretty sky-bluenette that he was hitting on earlier before their game.

"Sorry."

Tsugawa blinked and blinked, startled to realize that she had been playing on the court against him all this while and not on the bench like he had originally assumed. "Oh? You're that girl who guarded me when your teammate scored your first basket! That's sick!"

The sky-bluenette twitched, only obvious to Tetsuya, Kise, and Akashi, and maybe even Kagami. "And it concerns you how?"

"I can't believe that you, having such strong presence, it's like you don't have it at all!"

Kagami was wondering if it's legal and within to rules for him to punch the said guy, whilst Hyuuga was twitching next to the redhead.

"Hey, did you know?" Kamiko blinked as Tsugawa was nearly into her face, much to Kagami's annoyance. "Last year, our team was ahead of yours by 20 points in the first quarter." Hyuuga growled. "That's why I want to make it 30." He told the sky-bluenette proudly.

_If that's your way of picking up girls, baldy, then you're about to see hell._

Within her subconscious, Akkiko growled as Kamiko inwardly growled as well. The sky-bluenette just stared at him for a long time before the bald player spoke again. "Well, don't let it get you down!" Tsugawa grinned at Kamiko, much to her annoyance. "That's why… if Seiho beats Seirin by a margin of 80 points, go out with me, okay?"

_'__I'm so close to cleaning your pathetic excuse of a being.' _The sky-bluenette thought silently as she stood sideways then. "I detest people who look down on my team. If you're that proud to beat us easily, please let the basketball do the talking. Please don't hold back."

Up the bleachers, Kise sighed in relief. He was thankful that she gave that baldy head another earful again, but then, he could have sworn he's seen _that_ look that was present in her face before she turned around towards to Seirin bench.

_'__Uh, oh. This is worse.'_

* * *

The game continued and it now back to man-to-man defense once more.

This time, however, Kamiko was guarding a Seiho player then; thus she couldn't use her speed trick. Riko had actually forbid her from using it again, though she never thought of using it consecutively during the Seiho match. The student-coach actually needs Kagami and Kamiko both for the Shutoku match later.

Izuki, who is now in possession of the ball, passed the ball behind him towards Mitobe. Kasuga smirked at this. _'A random pass like that will never…'_ his eyes widened in shock when Kamiko appeared on his blind spot, tapping the ball straight toward Mitobe. _'H-How?! I thought she was guarding our teammate just then!?' _As he turned to face the said teammate, he stared in shock. Kamiko was merely guarding him like before, as if she really never left her mark.

Mitobe immediately took advantage of the chance and scored.

"What was that pass just now? It came back like a boomerang!"

"No, it didn't! It came back because someone tapped it."

Kise chuckled. "Looks like the so-called iron wall of Seiho's defense have never seen a pass from inside their walls before. Mikocchi was just getting started," he remarked.

* * *

The buzzer went off, signaling the end of the first quarter, with the game count currently being at 20-20.

"End of the first quarter!" The referee announced.

As the two captains were talking rather solemnly for the two minute intermission, with the Seiho captain holding his fellow freshman player by the back his jersey, Kamiko glanced to see the Seiho captain glaring at the bald player then, who looked like he was whimpering before he apologized. The sky-bluenette was just about to drink from her bottle then when she heard Hyuuga speak.

"It's fine." Hyuuga said. "We got over it."

* * *

A whistle blew out.

"Seirin! Member change!"

Akashi raised an eyebrow as he watched both his female best friend and that Kagami guy walked back towards the Seirin bench, with the redhead having a scowl on his face. Two of the benched Seirin second years then entered the court in their stead.

"I see…" Akashi muttered to himself, figuring out what Seirin's plan is by benching both of their key members. _'Even if they win against Seiho, they need a strategy to play against Shintaro later on. The only ones that even stood a chance against him are Kami and that Kagami guy, but they can't do that if they're tired out. Part of the reason why Kami hadn't used the offensive skills of her Lycorax play ever since the first quarter.' _He glanced at his best friend. _'With that Kagami guy having made four fouls already, all the more that he can't play.' _He smirked. _'If Seirin wants to defeat Seiho without those two, I hope they have a game plan in mind. It's not going to be easy.'_

A whistle blew out.

* * *

It is currently the fourth quarter, with the game count of 49-54, with Seiho in the lead. As this is the first time that Kamiko had actually seen the Seirin second years play without her or Kagami, she is interested to see how they'd fare, playing with a team that had been developing since the previous year. Any basketball veteran would be able to tell that the play style that Seirin had developed around herself and Kagami is still in development, with just how shaky that the formation still is.

Kagami was surprised to find the silent Mitobe dunking, also showing his skill at hook shooting. The freshmen nearly sweat dropped when they learned that Koganei can shoot at all ranges, with his accuracy being 'so-so', thus resulting in him actually missing two free shots, much to Tsuchida's annoyance, the latter who actually specializes in rebounds.

Izuki's special skill, the 'Eagle Eye' also came out in play during the third quarter, confusing the Seiho team.

Currently though, the Seirin members were more concerned with Koganei who seemed to have suffered from a light concussion by hitting head on the ground.

"Koganei-kun!"

"Senpai, are you okay?" Kagami asked with concern.

"I think it's a mild concussion," Riko said, peering into Koganei's unfocused eyes. "We need to sub him out."

"Then let me play!" Kagami said immediately.

"What are you talking about?" Hyuuga asked, annoyed. "You can't play! Have you forgotten why we're conserving your energy? We'll settle this."

"But I can't just sit still—H-Hey!"

Kagami was immediately cut off as he yelped in pain as Kamiko pinched his cheek a little too hard. "I agree," Kamiko stepped in. "He should stay on the bench." Kagami glared at the sky-bluenette, who eventually withdrew her hand as he was rubbing his cheek, but before he could argue, Kamiko shot him a look; something that immediately kept the redhead's mouth shut. "If you foul Tsugawa again, you'll just be thrown off the court."

Kagami twitched. "I won't!" he bit back, not wanting to admit that Kamiko's reasoning had sense in it. "That's why I've got to pay Tsugawa back for what he did."

The sky-bluenette sighed at his hotheadedness. Kagami does really remind her of a certain tanned male, though. "Alright then," she spoke, much to everyone's surprise. "I'll settle the score for you."

"What?" The redhead could only store. "What is that? There is no point if you beat him!"

"Then do you want to get kicked off the court?"

"Like what I was saying, I won't! Besides, what the hell are you talking about in the first place?"

Hyuuga glanced at the score board, a frown on his face. _'Five more minutes and six point difference.'_ He thought as he glanced at the arguing duo.

Kamiko's right. They couldn't let Kagami play this time since he's had already four fouls from the earlier quarters. Hyuuga had to remind himself repeatedly that even though Kamiko may be a girl, she is still a regular of the legendary Uncrowned Kings.

"Very well," Hyuuga said at last and Kagami turned towards the Seirin captain. "As another freshman, I'm leaving Tsugawa to you, Kamiko," he told the sky-bluenette.

Kagami paled whilst Kamiko nodded.

* * *

"Seirin! Member change!"

The Seiho team was surprised when the player that was subbed out to take Koganei's place wasn't Kagami, but instead, Kamiko. No one was more surprised than Tsugawa himself, who was actually looking forward to facing Kagami once more.

"What, you?" Tsugawa sulked, dreading to see that the sky-bluenette is the last person whom he even wanted to face on the court. "I wanted to face Kagami, but whatever!" His face brightened up as he turned to face Kamiko. "If I beat you here, go on a date with me!"

_'__He doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'no', huh?' _Riko face-palmed in exasperation, whilst the Seiho team looked as if they wanted to shake their freshman player awake.

Kamiko sighed lightly, a hand on her hip. "You're welcome to try." She said rather calmly and Tsugawa looked taken aback. "That is… if you can do it."

As Kise had his whole attention at the sky-bluenette, who was annoyed at the bald player then, he watched the exchange rather closely. The once grinning Tsugawa looked taken aback at whatever Kamiko was telling him. To that, the _look_ that was present on the sky-bluenette's face earlier was there again as her being faced the court, allowing him to her front then. It looked much more prominent now; a smirk was plastered across the sky-bluenette's lips, making her a _whole different_ person.

"Here it comes." The blonde muttered as Kasamatsu glanced at him, confused.

* * *

Tsugawa panicked, looking back and forth for Kamiko whom he is marking, only to see Izuki passing the ball to the sky-bluenette. She immediately passed it to Hyuuga, who managed to slip past the defenses of the Seiho player, who was marking him, managing to score a goal, thus making the game count at 51-54, with Seiho still on the lead.

_'__I-I lost her! How did…? When did she…?' _Tsugawa spluttered.

Hyuuga grinned at Kamiko, who nodded in acknowledgement then.

Iwamura was slightly out of breath, wondering what was going on. _'What's going on?' _He thought. _'Those passes are strong without a doubt, even the receivers are slipping past the defense!'_

Seiho is currently in possession of the ball and Hyuuga immediately took his chance to steal the ball as a Seiho player attempted to make a pass to a fellow teammate. The Seirin captain made for the basket only to be blocked by Tsugawa and Hyuuga immediately passed it to Mitobe, who was standing nearby. Mitobe then made a pass towards Kamiko who scored a basket easily.

"W-What is this?!" Tsugawa panted. "What is going on!?"

"They know our movements!" A Seiho player realized.

It is the only explanation after all. A Seirin player is always present at their blind spots, taking advantage of the chances to steal the ball and score a goal before they even realized what is going on.

Matsumoto Yukinoki, Seiho's coach frowned. "They got us," he observed. "I've never seen anyone study us so thoroughly before."

* * *

"As their name suggests, old martial arts are ancient," Kasamatsu said, impressed at Seirin's creativity, though he didn't show it. "Their thought process is completely different from modern sports science. Applying those specialized movements to basketball is Seiho's strength, but…"

Tetsuya frowned. _'You've got habits if you're specialized,' _he thought, remembering the number of times during his middle school days when he was watching Kamiko in a match, as her former team was also dealing this similar kind of team. _'It was rather long and hard to figure out those habits as we watched the videos,' _the male bluenette mused, glancing at the Seirin team. _'I guess this is why Kami-nee chose to attend Seirin instead of what Aunt Miyuki had suggested for her.'_

* * *

Akashi smiled a little. _'You're getting a hang of it now, Kami. It won't be long until you can show your true power once you face off against Shintaro later,' _He thought, as he was still leaning against the wall by then, watching the Seirin team.

* * *

Subbing out Kamiko and Kagami for energy conservation for the match against Shutoku isn't the only reason. The other reason is that only the second years have studied Seiho's matches to such an extent to be able to read their movements whilst on the field. Kamiko and Kagami's training with Riko during that week is specially to deal with Shutoku.

Back on the bench, Kagami was watching Kamiko with awe as she circulated those passes that he had caught many times whilst on the court, even as she shoots the ball into the goal, thus earning points for Seirin. Was this how the spectators have felt every single time they watched Kamiko on the field? He could see now about why she's a regular of one of two legendary basketball teams.

_'__Now that I think about it, this is the first time watching Karadai from the bench,' _Kagami thought, watching as Kamiko made a rather smooth pass to Izuki then, shooting the ball into the goal again, despite Seiho's best attempts to stop them, even her. "Amazing…"

Riko grinned at Kagami. "What? You just noticed? She's always like this," she jabbed the redhead in the side, earning a scowl from him.

* * *

Tsuchida scored a three pointer, thus making the score 70-69, with Seirin currently in the lead and with thirty seconds to go before the end of the fourth quarter.

_'__The hard part comes now.' _Akashi mused, glancing at the angered faces on the Seiho players. _'Being one of the strong kings, they have strong pride. They won't take it lying down like this,' _The heterochromatic-eyed redhead smirked, glancing at his sky-bluenette best friend. _'I wonder what you're going to do, Kami.'_

_'__How can they try so hard during the last few seconds?' _Izuki thought in annoyance, currently in possession of the ball after Iwamura had dunked in just two seconds ago.

Seiho had stuck to their man-to-man defense once more, only on full court this time. Out of the corner of his eye, Izuki spotted an opening and immediately passed the ball to Kamiko, who easily dipped past the defenses of the Seiho player marking her.

"Damn it!" Iwamura cursed.

The sky-bluenette got ready to pass the ball towards Tsuchida, who had also managed to slip past the defenses of the Seiho player who was marking him, only to be taken aback as Tsugawa appeared in front of her in an instant, and her eye twitched.

_'__Enough!' _She growled, gripping on the ball in defense position then.

* * *

"What the?" Kise gaped.

Seirin is just this close to victory!

"He found her by calculating backwards from the pass course!" Kasamatsu deduced.

"Karadai!" Kagami shouted from the bench.

_'__This isn't all that I'm capable of.' _Kamiko thought, feeling more annoyed, as she briefly glanced on her spot then. She noticed that she was only a step away from the three-pointer line then. She moved a step backward, glancing at Hyuuga without being obvious then and the Seirin captain nodded faintly, knowing exactly what she was about to do.

The sky-bluenette looked at the bald player, who was clearly pressuring her, then swiftly she slipped her hand past the ball and smacking it towards Hyuuga—however, as Tsugawa was about to steal the ball, he was left shocked as soon as he realized that he's been set up then, whilst the sky-bluenette only moved the ball in a swift motion, creating an illusion that it really left her hands. Taking his distraction as a big advantage, she took her position to score, leaping as to score a three-point shot into the goal, just in time for the buzzer to go off, making the game count at 73-71, with it being Seirin's victory.

"Yes!"

Seirin cheered and Koganei ran out to the court to join his teammates in a group hug, not caring about his mild concussion. Hyuuga ruffled Kamiko's hair in glee, happy that they've won and Kamiko smiled.

"We won!"

* * *

By the exit, Akashi smiled. "That's what you get for underestimating the raging goddess of the Uncrowned Kings," he mused to himself as he was still in his position, with arms loosely crossed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Seiho sighed to themselves in disappointment, surprised that a no-name school like Seirin could actually manage to beat them, one of the three kings of Tokyo.

"We lost," one of the Seiho players admitted. _'Those guys are strong.'_

Tsugawa was furious, feeling his world crashing down around him when it was announced that Seirin had won. The cheers that had filled the entire gymnasium and the happy faces on the Seirin players didn't fade away, making him realize that it wasn't just a dream.

"Why?" Tsugawa shouted to Seirin and the happy players turned towards him, confused. The sky-bluenette among their midst looked at him with a blank look and he growled. "Seirin was formed last year! We definitely practiced way more than you did! You didn't even stand a chance last year! No matter how you look at it, we're stronger!"

"Enough, Tsugawa," Iwamura cuts off Tsugawa's outburst. The captain had a resigned look in his eyes and one of respect as he looked at the Seirin team. After all, they are the team to beat them, one of the three kings. "The strong don't win. The winners are the strong ones. They were stronger. That's all," he told his junior.

Tsugawa clenched his teeth in anger, glaring at the back of the sky-bluenette, who was just about ready to head back to her team's bench.

"Tell me your name!" he demanded. At the very least, he wanted to know the name of the person, whom he wanted to swear revenge on.

Kamiko turned her attention then to the bald player and answered. "Karadai Kamiko." That name rang a bell in Tsugawa's head. She gave him a smile, an expression which took him aback since she hadn't been smiling during the entire match. "It was a good game," she said. "You played well, along with your teammates. Right to the end, no one on both teams decided to give up."

Tsugawa's eyes widened a slight fraction. He seemed to have remembered someone saying something similar to him once. When was it? In middle school?

He eyed that shade of blue hair that the girl had. It was another thing that got him so interested in this girl when he had first seen her on the court. He doesn't know anyone else, who had that shade of blue hair, as it is pretty rare. In fact, he can only remember one person having that shade of blue hair.

_"__It's not fair!" Tsugawa shouted at the Hanzo player who had started marking him after the Hanzo vice captain had finally relented to let the carrot head change marks, much to his relief. "We played as hard as we could and we trained ourselves to death when we heard that we'll be up against you! So why couldn't we win?"_

_The sky-bluenette glanced back over her shoulder at the upset bald player. Her Hanzo teammates frowned at the said player's frustrated yell and their small forward, the said carrot head looked as if he was about to walked over there, but a warning frown from the black-haired vice captain stopped him._

_"__It's a good match," She simply answered, eventually adding an afterthought. "Your team played well. You gave us the best challenge that we wanted for a long time."_

_Minamoto Middle School is the first school that year to even clinch 60 points past Hanzo Junior High. Most teams could only hope to get 20 points at most against the Uncrowned Kings, but still it didn't change the fact that Hanzo had just beaten them into a pulp with 136 points to their 60._

_Tsugawa, however, wasn't satisfied. "Don't give me that when you've just defeated us!" he yelled, stomping his foot like a spoiled brat, much to the Hanzo players' amusement. "You—"_

_"__The thing that makes your team different from the previous opponents we've faced, you didn't give up," She told him, but the said player gritted his teeth, not entirely happy in the least that Hanzo had slaughtered his team like this._

_"__What's your name? Tell me your name! I want to know the name of the person that I'll take revenge on next year!"_

_"__Miko-chaaaan! I'm hungry. Let's leave!" Hanzo's small forward called out to the girl, as the entire team picked up their bags._

_"__Okay, okay, Kota!" The girl answered back, before turning back towards him. "I'm Karadai Kamiko. I hope to see you again in a match someday." She nodded before walking past him and joining the rest of her team._

"AH!" The entire court—both Seirin and Seiho, were silenced at Tsugawa's sudden shout. Now, everyone was staring at him like an alien as he pointed a shaking finger at Kamiko, who tilted her head in confusion. "I REMEMBER NOW!" He shouted. "YOU'RE ONE OF THE UNCROWNED KINGS!"

Silence.

The audience in the bleaches was silenced at the shout as well. Midorima, who was sitting on Shutoku's bench, glanced over at the bald player and shook his head, mumbling in his breath. Kise face-palmed.

"No wonder he's loud babbling idiot who had a pea-sized brain." The blonde muttered.

Akashi twitched from his position. If he wouldn't stop pointing and looking at his best friend like that, he's not going to need his eyes and limbs anymore.

The entire Seiho team was both surprised and shocked at this revelation by their kohai. Meanwhile, Seirin was just staring at Tsugawa like he has two heads. It was one of the freshmen reserve players who had joined them in their group hug who broke the silence.

"You only realized this now?" Fukuda deadpanned. "Even though you've played her before?"

Tsugawa ignored the comment as he was still glaring at Kamiko. No wonder he found the girl familiar and her play style even more. He had played her before! She played as a regular in one of two monster teams when he was still in middle school.

"Yes, I am one of the Uncrowned Kings," Kamiko replied. "So?"

Kagami face-palmed. "Karadai…" he groaned.

Tsugawa exploded. "YOU'RE THE _CAPTAIN, POINT GUARD, _**AND **_ACE _OF THE UNCROWNED KINGS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" He nearly screamed. "WHY IS SOMEONE LIKE YOU IN A NO-NAME SCHOOL LIKE SEIRIN?"

Why is a regular of one of two legendary teams playing for a no-name school like Seirin, whose team was only created just a year ago? Why didn't she join a stronger school like Shutoku, Touou, Kaijo or Rakuzan even? He's heard that half of her former team had gone for Rakuzan.

_"__Whaaaaaat?"_

_"__Captain… P-Point Guard… and A-Ace?! Is that e-even possible?!"_

The simultaneous shrieks from the Seirin players, except Kagami, who was just in the sidelines, since he already knew her former position in her former team. Kamiko looked annoyed as the Seirin captain looked as if he had swallowed a lemon… an extremely sour lemon.

"What do you mean, 'what'?" Tsugawa blinked. "You mean you people didn't even know that you got the_ captain, point guard, _**and** _ace _of the Uncrowned Kings? The Number O-5 player in the middle school basketball circuit?"

Kamiko just shrugged at the shocked looks of the entire Seirin team, even from the Seiho team. "It's wasn't really important. I also have my own reasons for playing Seirin, of course." She said coolly. "So I don't really see how it's any of your business." He voice, despite calm, had a warning edge on it.

Tsugawa gritted his teeth. "Karadai Kamiko…" he growled, repeating the name so that he wouldn't forget it. "I'll remember it this time. I definitely won't forget!" He swore.

To that, the sky-bluenette blinked, then she smiled. "Thanks," As she followed her team towards the locker room after the after-match greeting, the sky-bluenette glanced over at the opposite court at Shutoku, who is also just finishing up their match. _'Shutoku,' _she thought to herself. _'It's going to get tough after this.'_


	15. Chapter 11

**OMG! OKAERI, MINNA-SAN! I'm soooooooooooooooo sorry I wasn't able to update right during my semestral break. T_T Internet sucks and I've been busy catching up sleep. HAHAHA. Anyway! Here's the next chapter. T_T I hope you're still enjoying this story!**

**Lovelots,**

**~DJ**

The tension surrounding the Seirin team seemed to get even worse as time ticked on, fast approaching 5PM—the time for the Inter High preliminaries finals, in which Seirin would be playing against Shutoku next. Riko was not helping any better by shouting commands at her players who were all currently gathered in their locker room.

Kamiko, who was pulling on her jersey jacket glanced, at their coach, who was massaging their captain's legs then, with the three other freshmen in the team apart from herself and Kagami getting ready the tapes and drinks for their next match. Fukuda was actually polishing a basketball in his hands while Furihata was handing out the amino acids and energy drinks that Riko had instructed him to hand out to the team.

_'__Looks like we'll be playing against Shinta-kun after all,' _the sky-bluenette thought as she was standing in front of her locker. _'But two matches in one day…' _She frowned inwardly, leaning her forehead against the locker as she let out a tired sigh. Despite having a three-hour rest before the last match for the day, it wasn't enough. _'Are we going to be okay?' _The sky-bluenette half-closed her eyes, flexing her left hand.

"Oi! Kagami! Your body will freeze up if you sleep!"

The sky-bluenette, when she heard Riko yelled at Kagami, turned to where the redhead was sitting and a faint smile played on her lips. He was currently against the lockers, fast asleep, snoring gently.

Hyuuga chuckled with amusement as he glanced at the sleeping redhead. "Leave him be."

Izuki, who was chucking down an energy drink, smiled. "He's not usually this down before a game," he commented and Mitobe nodded in agreement.

"It's probably because he got four fouls," Koganei piped in as he plucked a banana off the bunch that he had. "There's nothing to worry about."

"You being replaced at the end was a little unexpected though, Koga," Tsuchida added, much to Koganei's disappointment.

"Maybe he feels responsible in his own way," Hyuuga commented with a smile. "Besides, I don't think he's just sleeping. He looks like he's saving every last bit of his energy for the next game."

A slight vibrating sound from Kamiko's locker made her jolt slightly at the sudden shake. She straightened her posture then and opened her locker door to take her cell-phone that was the culprit. Just as she flipped the phone to see who sent her a text, she sighed lightly as she turned towards her seniors.

"Sorry, I'll be leaving for a bit. I'll be right back," Kamiko said, walking towards the door, much to the team's confusion.

* * *

A male-bluenette was standing lone at the empty hallway that was towards the participating players' lockers. His hands were tucked inside his hoodie's pockets when he saw his older sister approaching to his direction and he gave a tender smile.

"Tetsu!" Kamiko grinned as she jumped on the frail-looking boy and hugged him, thought it almost earned them a fall to the ground if it weren't from Tetsuya's strong sense of balance, despite being shorter by 2 inches. "It meant a lot for you to be present, you know," she smiled as she pulled away from the latter and gave him a grin, which he returned with a smile.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm the older brother who attended a match to support his younger sister," he said, earning a playful glare from the female sky-bluenette and made him chuckle lightly. "You did well against Seiho. Are you feeling okay?" Tetsuya asked, tilting his head towards his older sister, who showed more exhaustion in her body movements and even her face. He wondered how she was able to cope up with such training that was designed at a National-level during middle school, and managed to clinch past an average adult basketball player's stamina at a ripe age of 13, then surpassed a stamina that of one of the strongest NBA basketball players in history at 14. No matter how much he wants to envy her having a strong healthy body whilst he was weak enough to play, he was okay with it. He being able to play _that_ challenge match against the former regulars was enough a dream come true.

The female sky-bluenette smiled a little and waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. It's been a while to play a really good game since middle school, so I'll be okay."

To that, the male sky-bluenette shook his head lightly and sighed. "No matter how much you want to hide it, exhaustion had seeped deep through your body, Kami-nee." He gave a smile then as he raised his hand to pat her cheek playfully and gently. "You be careful in your next game okay?"

"You're leaving already?" She couldn't hide the disappointment lacing in her tone as she pouted at your younger brother, who just chuckled lightly. Sometimes, he did wonder if she was really his older sister. The way she acts—she was rather childish for her age—which was cute to watch.

"Only to leave out the interesting match of Seirin and Shutoku? I can't just leave," he said, earning a relieved sigh from the female sky-bluenette. "But, I better go and get back to my seat. You should go or Riko-senpai's having your head on the silver platter." To that, he earned a playful shove from the girl who was sporting a mock horror on her face.

"Whose side are you really on, Tetsu?"

He only laughed a little and kissed her cheek but before he turned to leave for the bleachers, he said, "Oh and I saw Akashi-kun on my way out to meet you here. He's waiting for you."

"Sei? Where is he—Oi! Tetsu!" The girl stomped childishly as she saw that her brother left her unanswered and sighed. Just when she was about to turn her heel towards her team's lockers, she felt two hands covering her eyes gently, making her silently gasp. A whiff of peppermint with a hint of musk tickled her nostrils, making her involuntarily smile at the familiar scent that she grew fond of.

"You know, you scared Tsugawa rather shitless earlier today. How are you even bringing a scissor with you everywhere you go?" To that, the hands that once covered her eyes were off then, a signal to face her 'mystery' blind-folder, who was Akashi Seijuro himself.

"I wouldn't have if he knew his place, Kami, but seemed like he was out of bounds," Akashi shook his head lightly, looking at his sky-bluenette best friend, who was wearing a smug smile on her face, making him twitch. "I would like to know what that smile is about or I shall wipe it out for you."

To that, she giggled lightly. It felt good teasing him like the old times. "I thought you're Mr. Know-It-All, Sei? Where's he?"

The strawberry crown massaged his temple. "If you think I'm jealous, I wasn't. I was merely protecting you from that bald player, who apparently was harassing you before, during, and after the game." He answered in a bored and annoyed monotone, in a way that only made her giggle more.

"Says the guy who does things that are quite opposite to what he claims to tell," she sobered up then, only chuckling at the sight of faintly-blushing Akashi, who only shook his head and rests his blank steely hetero-chromatic eyes on her honey-glazed ones. The strawberry crown brought up his hand to her face then, slowly tracing her eyebrow down to her round cheek, before gently cupping it, making her swallow a lump that was on her throat as her eyes never left his own.

"For you, Kami. Just for you," his hetero-chromatic eyes softened and a loving smile was present on his lips, only to place a sweet kiss on the tip of her nose before quickly withdrawing his hand from her cheek, making her inwardly sigh in disappointment at the sudden absence of his warmth. "Are you ready for your next match?"

Kamiko blushed and smiled, nodding, though feeling a little dazed from his sudden gesture just now. "Yeah," she replied. "I've already done all that I can for that match," She rested her left hand on her right arm then. "I'll be fine. We'll be fine."

Akashi's sharp eyes noted Kamiko's movement and gave a small sigh. "You're improving faster than I'd hope you'll be, Kami, and it's unexpected but I'm glad." He looked at her. "You might not look like it, but you're still upset about the fact that you can no longer play like you used to." He sighed and shook his head, his attention towards the faint cheers coming from the stadium. "Be careful against Shintaro, Kami." He turned towards his best friend again. "Like you and the rest of us, he has gotten stronger since graduation and Shutoku isn't named one of Tokyo's three kings for nothing. Whether Seirin wins and loses will depend on you and that Kagami guy."

The sky-bluenette nodded. "Will you be leaving now?"

"And miss out on you kicking Shintaro's butt?" Akashi's face was one of mock horror and Kamiko giggled softly at the sight of it. "I'm not someone to pass an opportunity to see something like this, Kami. Oh, I have to catch the midnight train back to Kyoto today, though. Want to drop by at the restaurant after the match?"

Kamiko tilted her head slightly, glancing at her phone. "I suppose. Orpheus Heart has become the team's regular hang-out. Maybe we could just go together." To that, she earned a light chuckle from the strawberry crown and that made her smile too.

"Well, good luck, Kami." Akashi mused, pinching her cheek lightly, much to her annoyance.

"Not going to talk to your best friend?" Kasamatsu asked in annoyance and confusion as his blonde companion and _kouhai_ dragged him all the way across the gymnasium to find his best friend and instructor, only to stop behind the wall when they saw Kamiko talking with a strawberry crown that had Kise paling two shades. Kasamatsu, somehow felt grateful as they hid behind the wall then. He wouldn't know how to compose himself if Kamiko would see him then. The Kaijou captain blinked as the blonde beside him looked like he was ready to faint.

"T-That's our former captain!" Kise managed to squeak out a reply, earning a rather more confused look from Kasamatsu. "Akashicchi is going to kill me!" The blonde wailed as he suddenly clung onto his captain, much to Kasamatsu's annoyance. He still remembered what Akashi had told him after the practice match of Seirin and Kaijo.

"Huh?"

"Unlike a certain idiot who refuses to use a map, even a monkey knows his way around."

Momoi Satsuki wheezed, but she looked like she was ready to die at the spot as she was physically drained. Twice, Aomine Daiki got them both lost before finally reaching the stadium, only missing out the finished match they were supposed to watch: the match between Seirin and Seiho.

"I hate maps!" Aomine huffed in annoyance, thus earning a glare from his pinknette friend.

"Says one who doesn't know how to read one!" Momoi puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

"Be quiet, you two," a familiar voice silenced their bicker and the two turned only to see a pissed-off-looking Akashi Seijuro leaning against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest.

"Akashi?" Aomine blinked, looking confused. "Why are you here?"

"Am I not allowed to come and watch my best friend's match?" Akashi shoots him a glare, shutting the tanned male's mouth up. "Now, silence. It's about to start." His attention turned towards the court and his hetero-chromatic eyes find their way towards an emerging female figure who was sporting a sky-blue hair. _'I'm sure that Shutoku wasn't expecting for Seirin to win their way through.' _He huffed and a small smirk appeared on his face. Akashi still recalled that so many schools underestimate his best friend just because she is a girl, with no known role in her team as it was said in the _Monthly Basketball Magazine_.

_'__This is it; the clash between the captain of the Uncrowned Kings and the vice-captain of the Generation of Miracles.'_

"I'm beat!" The Seirin captain complained as the rest of the Seirin team were exhausted and looked ready to collapse, despite being able to rest for three hours after their match with Seiho whilst the Shutoku team looked full of life and energized. "I've been feeling miserable since this morning. We've got two games in a row, both against kings." He commented as the whole team huddled in a circle for a last minute strategy meeting before the start of the game. "There's only one game left. We don't have to worry about bothersome crap like the next game or reserving our energy. We can focus on the one thing we have to do! Give everything we have until we can't give anymore!"

"Yeah!"

The referee blew the whistle, signaling for the starting members of both participating teams on court to line up for the usual before-game greetings, with Hyuuga noticing that Kagami was a lot quieter than usual.

The sky-bluenette adjusted her right arm spandex before moving to take position on the court, but before she could do so, Midorima blocked her way. "I didn't think you would actually make it this far," he said. "But it has to end here. No matter how weak, small, or unknown, any team can fight as long as they work together," he shook his head in disagreement. "That is just an illusion."

Kamiko was growing annoyed at his words. Is he really the same green haired four-eyed tsundere she coached in middle school? Has he completely forgotten that like Hanzo, Teiko was an unknown school before they all actually came into the picture?

"I will show you just how foolish your choice was, Kamiko."

The sky-bluenette could only study Midorima for several moments before she sighed lightly and answered. "I may or may not have made the right decision, but if I have to disagree on something, it's that Seirin is not weak. We will not lose, Shintaro."

Rarely has Kamiko called him by his full first name. Ever since they've met in middle school, she only calls him 'Shinta-kun' since it sounds more playful in that way, more of an endearment. But, once she utters his first name fully, it's not the time to joke around anymore.

Midorima just glared.

Up the bleachers, Kasamatsu Yukio was observing as both teams gathered in their positions on the court for the before-match greeting. "Will Seirin miraculously beat two kings in a row to win or will Shutoku protect its rightful throne?" The Kaijo captain mused lightly whilst Kise looked on with concern next to him.

As Akashi was keeping to himself and he clearly didn't want to be disturbed, Momoi nudged Aomine then. "Will Midorin go easy on Miko-chan?" She asked in a whisper, glancing at the tanned male, who was standing casually beside her then back at the court, where the teams are. "They are friends after all and besides being taught by Miko-chan, he has a soft spot for her," she reminded Aomine.

"I doubt it," Aomine scoffed as his attention is on the court, his navy blue eyes solely on the mentioned sky-bluenette. "They might be friends out of court, but in court, they are basketball players. Midorima wouldn't go easy on anyone, not even if it's Miko. Besides, I don't think Miko wouldn't want him to do that as well."

The game started off as Seirin had the ball, only to have every Seirin player guarded by a Shutoku player, even Kamiko. It wasn't long until Izuki immediately passed the ball towards the sky-bluenette, who easily managed to slip past the Shutoku player, who was currently guarding her, much to the latter's shock. Kamiko quickly made a shot towards the basket, with Kagami leaping towards it, readying for an alley-oop, but mere moments before the redhead could dunk the ball in, Midorima appeared from out of nowhere and smacked it out of Kagami's hands, much to the shock of the Seirin team but Kamiko.

_'__It was worth a try,' _Kamiko thought as she glanced at her former rookie with the ball currently in Takao's possession. _'But it's going to be tough dealing with Shintaro.'_

"How disappointing," Midorima scoffed. "You think you can beat us with that?" He sneered at Kagami.

Hyuuga ran to block Takao, who currently had possession of the ball, but the Shutoku player was quick to pass the ball to a nearby teammate that is standing at the half court line who turned out to be Midorima, and Hyuuga's eyes widened in shock.

Everyone on Seirin knew that allowing Midorima to get the ball is considered suicidal, especially after what they've seen him do after Seirin's match with Shinkyo. Kamiko did mention that Midorima is the Shooting Guard of the Generation of Miracles and a shooting specialist, but apart from that, the girl said nothing more about his abilities. Seirin wasn't happy but they all respected her wishes not to speak about the Generation of Miracles unless she absolutely has to.

As the ball made a high arc in the air, heading its merry way towards the basket, Kamiko frowned before turning and making her way towards the direction of the basket where the ball was headed towards, passing a gob smacked Kagami at the same time.

The ball went neatly into the basket, thus earning the first point of the entire game.

"It's a three pointer!"

"Midorin is playing well today," Momoi commented.

"Yeah," Aomine agreed as he narrowed his eyes at Kamiko, who was standing just under the basket that the ball had gone in. "Miko won't take this lying down. She might not show it much, but she is still a member of the Uncrowned Kings."

Not far from them, Akashi smirked, his attention on the court still. _'She has the pride of being the captain of the infamous Uncrowned Kings.'_ He glanced at Midorima, who adjusted his glasses with a small smirk on the green haired male's lips. _'Rarely, a student can surpass his teacher and Shintaro thinks he already surpassed her. Kami's not going to settle until she wakes him up.'_

Kamiko caught the ball as it came falling towards the shiny floor. She then turned her attention towards Midorima, who was walking slowly towards the other end of the court with that Takao guy beside him and narrowed her honey-glazed eyes.

_'__Changed much worse, ne, Shinta-kun?' _She thought as she held the ball with both hands then. _'It's my fault for leaving you like that.'_

_Wake him up, Kamiko. He needs it._

The sky-bluenette hanged her head low enough for her bangs to hide her eyes as she heard Akkiko's voice. She takes the ball in her left hand and dribbled it in a rather… slow pace. If Midorima had forgotten what she could really do, then it's time to refresh his memory.

She faced the court with the basket on the other side of the court. The sky-bluenette took position at her spot and takes a deep breath to even her pulse. Her honey-glazed eyes seemed darker by the second as she readies herself: knees bent and parted enough, with both hands on the ball then. A wide smirk then plastered on her face, slowly raising her head now, only to find her eyes blank and more vicious-looking then.

_'__It's time to wake up, Shintaro.'_

Near the exit, Akashi smirked, whilst Aomine looked confused and Momoi looked pleased.

"One of her many forms of _Lycorax_, Icicle Arrow. I don't think I would able to witness this again," Momoi mused happily, confusing the tanned male beside her even more. "Like Midorin, Miko-chan has a keen sense of distance and angle and never misses a shot, especially three-pointers. She controls the court; it's her play ground. With two opposing shooting specialists, I wonder who'll benefit the most." The pinknette placed a finger on her cheek thoughtfully and grinned. "I'm seriously betting on Miko-chan since she's my best friend and I'm dating her brother at that!"

"I thought she was the point guard, ace, and captain during middle school? She's also a freaking shooting guard?" Aomine gaped.

"_Correction_, she's a shooting specialist, not a shooting guard, but it happened on rare occasions at that," Momoi only shrugged as her attention was back on court. "She doesn't rely on three pointer shots like Midorin unless it's necessary to make one."

Kamiko then released the ball forward on a similar high arc like Midorima's shot just moments ago and Midorima turned back over his shoulder at the same time when the sky-bluenette had released the ball, sending it high across the court. The green haired male's eyes widened in shock as he saw the ball up in the air, though the ball's speed was faster but more mentally draining. The rest of the players present and the entire audience can only gape at the distance.

And the ball went as neatly into the basket, thus earning three points for Seirin, shocking everyone more than the shot Midorima made.

"T-They got them back in a second!"

Seiho was in shock, along with every basketball player currently among the audiences, which includes Kise and Kasamatsu. Kise looked as if he had just seen a ghost and Kasamatsu looked much worse. The Seirin team and Shutoku weren't any different, staring at Kamiko like she's some Martian.

"What was that?" Koganei managed a croak.

"T-That's exactly like Midorima-san's high arc shot, but this time it was from the other side of the court. A full court shot!" Tsuchida spluttered from beside the cat-faced male on the bench. Riko still couldn't manage to find it in herself to speak, as she was also too shocked at the sky-bluenette's sudden display. It was entirely unexpected.

Midorima gritted his teeth, obviously not amused. _'Damn it, I forgot that she was the one who helped nurture my skill.'_ He thought himself as he glared at the sky-bluenette, who returned his stare with her now-blank eyes, only to have inwardly shocked him more; the same pair of eyes in which he complained in more than one occasion about not being able to read her, like he could with the rest. _'Damn it!' _He cursed inwardly once more.

"I'm sorry," Kamiko, though, didn't sound a bit sorry at all, and the Seirin players nearby blinked in surprise. She wasn't one to apologize without genuinely sounding apologetic, but one knows when to keep one's mouth shut as they listened to the sky-bluenette and the green haired male's exchange. "It would be so problematic if I let you take over the first quarter that easily." Her blank eyes then narrowed. "Besides, have you forgotten what I specialize in, Shinta-kun? It would be a hitch if you had forgotten what I can **_really_** do."

To that, Midorima narrowed his eyes, not admitting that he had nearly forgotten about it. With all her skills, Kamiko is the frontal attack type of player, but she keeps herself hidden as the support type of player. That's why no one outside the Uncrowned Kings and the Generation of Miracles really know what her main player role was.

Takao frowned. "She can shoot like that too?"

Seiho looked like they were shitting their pants as they were all shocked into silence. For a school known as one of the three kings of Tokyo, this is the first time that they have seen something like this, only to have witnessed Midorima's half court three-pointer shot, but a full court shot that surprisingly earned three points for Seirin too? That was uncalled for.

"This is one of the reasons why that girl is the last person whom I'd even wanted to face on the court," Tsugawa muttered.

"Miko-chan is just getting started," Momoi chirped as she watched Midorima hesitating for a split second before passing the ball to his teammate. "With that shot, she has effectively sealed Midorin. Who would have thought that the teacher had finally put her student to his place?"

Aomine glanced at his pinknette companion then back on the court before furrowing his eyebrows.

"Midorimacchi's been shut down?" Kise blinked.

Kasamatsu nodded, his attention on the court. "Yeah, with Kami's—Karadai's full court high arc shot," he answered, clearing his throat awkwardly as he was cursing inwardly to himself when he was about to use her first name in front of Kise. "Midorima's team returns to defense during the long hang time of his shots and that's good for stopping run-and-gun plays, however, not everyone goes back. Just in case he misses, they leave someone to rebound the ball. That hang time bites them hard in the ass. If Midorima can go back, Kagami can also run back." He pointed this out. "They can counter Midorima with a super fast break by running past him. That's why Midorima can't shoot. But, a full court shot was unexpected, effectively sealing Midorima," Kasamatsu glanced at Kamiko, whose face was already blank and her honey-glazed eyes seemed darker than usual. "The timing and decision to make that shot as well as the confidence to get it in one shot… it's upholding."

The blonde looked curiously at his captain. The Kaijou captain's tone had something that almost sounded like… admiration and respect in it, and he was looking at Kamiko with respect and the blonde could have sworn he saw a faint blush across Kasamatsu's cheeks but it only lasted for a second there.

"Karadai, huh? I can see how she played at Hanzo." Kasamatsu stated, glancing at Kise before turning his attention back to the court. "She's one real veteran."

Kamiko was pissed off, more than she was during the game against Seiho. She may not look like it, but the only ones who knew her best—her former teammates, even Akashi, Kise, Midorima and Momoi, can tell that she is by the twitch of her lip.

Just as she suspected during the mere moments before the official start of the game, Takao Kazanuri has the same ability as Shun Izuki, though his 'Hawk Eye' covers the whole court while Izuki's 'Eagle Eye' can only scope half.

After her display earlier today, Takao had start marking her as per order by their coach to prevent her from sealing off Midorima's play. That Hawk Eye ability of his prevents her from moving around freely without her being caught at hand, causing her to grow more and more irritated yet excited at the same time. There are some rarest occasions where her movements can be sealed off like this, but she knows something like this could never stay long.

As Riko called for a time-out for Seirin, Kamiko unnoticeably clenched her jaw as the rest of the players walked over their side of bench, with four minutes to go before ending the first quarter; a game count of 8-11, with Shutoku currently in the lead.

"Looks like Seirin's in trouble," Takao mused, gulping down a big gulp of water from his personal bottle, whilst Midorima was sitting beside him, looking concentrated.

"Don't let your guard down," The green haired male warned the raven jolly. "Kamiko will not back down from this."

"Oh, please. It'll be fine," Takao replied seemingly uncaring. "It's not like the display she did earlier today would repeat again, right? She's not going anywhere while I'm watching."

Midorima's eye twitched with annoyance at how his companion and teammate is underestimating Kamiko. "Kamiko may be a girl, but she still is member of one of two most-feared basketball teams, Hanzo's Uncrowned Kings. Her physical strength is so far on par with us guys, or it might be higher than ours even. Like our former captain, she is the true basketball prodigy. Her abilities are nothing compared to ours. It belongs to a different world." Then he gritted his teeth. "That is why I can't accept the fact that someone whom I respected so much has chosen to bury herself more in a team that cannot fully utilize her abilities."

Over at Seirin's bench, however, Kamiko swatted Kagami's hand not-so-gently away as he was messing up her hair. "You're not trying to get into my nerves now, do you, Kagami?"

The redhead teammate frowned at her words as he withdrew his hand then, looking sullen. "You're not going to keep letting them get you, right?"

The girl can only glare at Kagami, knowing that he had a point just this once, but it wasn't helping her any further. "The fact that they think that they can stop me with this makes me angry!" For once, she felt her usual composure slip a little and Kagami raised a brow at this. He has never seen the sky-bluenette lose her cool, neither in nor out of court, but right now, he has a nagging feeling that she's already planned something up her sleeve and just by the look on her face now, he thought she looked like she was ready to kill someone as soon as time out is over and about. And somehow, it's making him feel more excited and fired up then.

"Coach!" He called Riko's attention then, the short brunette immediately turned towards the redhead. "Let's keep doing what we do."

"What?" Riko frowned, looking at the freshmen duo questioningly. "You know you won't be moving as freely now that you're being heavily pressured by Takao-kun, right?" The coach tilted her head towards Kamiko. "Are you going to be okay?"

Kamiko glanced at Riko then back at her hands, eyeing her fingers as she flexes them as her eyes hid discreetly behind her bangs, thinking her thoughts through as Akkiko's face appeared in her subconscious then, just half of her face was illuminated without missing out a wide smirk that was practically across her twin's face.

_I'd never thought I'd have the chance to do this again, Kami._

"I've already figured him out, Riko," her voice—no, Akkiko's lazy drawl, was heard and Riko and the rest of the team were taken aback at her sudden change of aura and the eyes that seemed to only hold death in them; something that they don't normally witness since they were used to Kamiko's lively eyes despite being a poker face all the time. "Takao's not going to last long… Shintaro's not going to last long. We're going to make sure of that."

The buzzer that signals the end of time out went off.

Next the exit, Akashi raised a brow before he smirked. _'I'd never anticipated witnessing Akkiko taking over Kami's body again. And this soon? Ma, it's going to be interesting.' _

No one really knows about Kamiko's twin except Akashi. This is where the 'devil in disguise' would work. Under Kamiko's angelic façade, Akkiko delights at nothing but to destroy, and surprisingly, Akkiko has a quick mind, quicker and more calculated than that of his and Momoi's. With Kamiko's own and Akkiko's, they're more than impossible to stop.

Once Akkiko occupies Kamiko's body, she's almost unrecognizable and her plays changes drastically from normal to destructive, like vicious devil acting on a rampage across the court. Unlike that certain redhead teammate of hers who shows a rather reckless, and he dare say it, pathetic play, hers is a more well-kept certain kind of elegance that only she has.

_'__Besides, I'm not the only one who noticed that sudden transformation,' _he glanced at the green haired male.

Like Akashi, Midorima glanced at Kamiko, who was the only one near then bench as she was adjusting her arm spandex before heading back to court, only to have been taken aback by the look that he saw in her eyes, there knowing that that… isn't Kamiko anymore. He just knew that it wasn't her anymore. He's witnessed the change in her back in their third year's National championships so he'd know.

In a sense, if anyone would get the drift.

He then looked at his teammate then stopped him on his tracks before Takao goes off to mark her again. "Never take your eyes off of Kamiko, not even for a milli-second," he told the raven jolly, earning a confused look from the latter. "You'll see why later on," the green haired male said as he went to take his position on the court.

"Uh oh…" Kise muttered, shaking his head lightly, earning a confused look from Kasamatsu.

"What's 'uh oh'?"

The blonde glanced at his companion then back at the court, his gold eyes finding her honey-glazed ones, only to make suck his breath at how much dull it was, finally realizing that… "She's not Mikocchi…" he murmured to himself now, but Kasamatsu caught what he just said.

"Huh?"

"Oh my gosh~! Miko-chan looks sexy when she is pissed~!" Momoi lets out a squeal, earning a look of mock horror from her companion beside her.

The entire stadium erupted in loud cheers when Midorima made an exact same shot like what Kamiko did after Shutoku scored their first basket.

"You're not having second thoughts with your gender now, Sastuki?" Aomine smirked and finally hissed in pain as the pinknette smacked his head a little too hard then, only to have withdrawn her hand of death as she turned her attention back to court with a giddy grin.

"I wonder what she's going to do next," She pressed her lips together, her playfulness all gone in the wind. "I doubt that Takao-kun and the rest of Shutoku will realize that they have already started playing into Miko-chan's hands since the beginning of the game until it's too late."

To that, Aomine frowned at her words.

_'__Is Miko really that manipulative and scary in court?'_

_'__Hoo?' _Tetsuya furrowed his right brow as he mildly frowned. The change in her seemed evident, only to the people who knew her best or who simply observes her properly. _'This is the first time I've seen Kami-nee…'_ The male sky-bluenette frowned more when he caught sight of her now-lifeless eyes and a wide smirk, answering one of his suspicions. _'…this sadistic.'_

As Takao was still blocking her, Kamiko—no, Akkiko scanned the court, Eye of Deduction going active then with all the possible routes and openings even as she was barely making any movement at all, as she stepped on her right, with Takao following closely—too closely, to be honest.

"If you think that you can shut me down this easily, then think again," Akkiko smirked, catching the raven jolly in surprise and confusion. "I've already figured you all out. Such easy-to-read mundanes." She sky-bluenette bent her knees, rotating her body towards Otsubo, who had the ball, looking as if she was positioning herself to strike.

If it was possible, he was even more confused. "Figured what out—Huh?" Takao's eyes widened in shock, realizing that the sky-bluenette had vanished from his sight in a split second. _'What the hell?!'_

_'__I told you never to take your eyes off of Kamiko!' _Over by his side, Midorima gritted his teeth, seeing a clean sharp blur heading towards Otsubo, who currently had possession of the ball. "Takao!" He shouted to his raven haired teammate.

"On it!" Takao called back, moving in between Otsubo and Miyaji, whom the captain is about the pass the ball to. Unfortunately, he arrived only a second late as the ball had in turn vanished as well, shocking the trio as Akkiko immediately made a sudden halt with her right foot, twisting her body to acquire a good balance as she swiftly positioned herself, with the ball in both hands, only to have released it by using her left hand without actually looking at the basket and surprisingly earned points for Seirin.

"I-Impossible! Her attention was elsewhere yet she made a ridiculously good shot into the basket!" Kasamatsu can only gape, as he followed her movements then; one when a Shutoku player tried to pass the ball to Midorima, only to have the ball stolen in the process and one wouldn't really know what happened until finally the scoreboard updated—16 to 19, with Shutoku still in the lead.

Kise sweat dropped as his attention was still on court. "It's because she knows the court inside and out." He commented, leaning against his elbow then, his jaw resting on his knuckles loosely. "The distance… the height of the basket… it's all numbers to her. She can deduce everything in a heartbeat whilst on court. No matter how far, as long as the whole court is her playground, she can manipulate everyone in it."

His shorter companion blinked in confusion, turning his attention towards him. "That's… possible… that sounds awfully familiar… Like Sherlock Holmes?"

"Something like that," Kise answered Kasamatsu. "During middle school, the reason why the Uncrowned Kings were as feared as the Generation of Miracles is all because of Mikocchi." The blonde continued, with Kasamatsu still intently listening. "Mikocchi apparently stands on equal grounds with Akashicchi; mentally, physically and psychologically. So if someone was suicidal enough to stand against her, it would be Akashicchi." _'And possibly, Aominecchi but never Midorimacchi, Murasakibaracchi, or myself or even her former teammates.'_

_'__Amazing…'_ The tanned male can only gape, his navy blue eyes never straying away from the sky-bluenette as he witnessed a certain demonic elegance in her play. To tell everyone the truth, this was the second time he's seen her play on court while he's taking the back seat. Has she always been like this? Honestly, he had second thoughts about the time they dueled back in the day. If she has always been more than strong, how was he able to defeat her?

"There was a slight miscalculation is all."

That broke him out of his reverie, turning his attention towards the redhead who suddenly spoke. Akashi still hasn't torn his eyes away from the court then, making Aomine confused. What was he talking about?

It was only when his unspoken question was answered when the redhead glanced at him without moving his head, staring into his navy blue hues for a few moments, then returned his attention back to the court, leaving Aomine more confused than he already is.

_"__Kami miscalculated the timing of your shot; thus letting you score in the end."_

A miscalculation?

"She's figured us all out?" Kimura Shinsuke raised a brow in confusion, causing everyone, including Midorima to look at the raven haired teammate. The raven haired male can glance at the Seirin bench for a short while, only to have looked away quickly as soon as the sky-bluenette's lifeless eyes caught his own.

"Exactly. At first, I thought that she was just bluffing, but…" Takao shook his head and Midorima can only dread what's next. "She's dead serious."

Midorima adjusted his glasses then as he turned his head towards Kamiko, who was unexpectedly looking at him with lifeless eyes and a lazy smirk-grin then turned her head away as she sprinted her way behind Kagami then. _'When I thought that Akashi is the most dangerous person to have walked on Earth, there's someone far more dangerous than the captain…' _he thought warily then looked back at the raven haired jolly. "I wonder if I should pity you or helping you right now," he said with a light sigh. "You're marking the former captain of the Uncrowned Kings. She brings a load lot of trouble whenever she's playing on court." The green haired male glanced back at the court. "You'll soon see why she's the Raging Demon, and _why_ she's the only girl and captain of the Uncrowned Kings."

"You got a plan?" Riko asked carefully.

Kamiko—no, it was still Akkiko present though. Akkiko briefly glanced at Kamiko's coach before turning her attention back to Shutoku's bench as she begins to think things through. She returned her gaze back to her team; the sky-bluenette tilted her weight behind her, the excessive weight then was resting on her palms that were currently resting on each of her side, finally deciding to answer her question. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting to bring it out this soon though," she flexed her fingers before wrapping them into a fist. "I need a little more time for it to be fully utilized."

"But Midorima's shot…" The short brunette trailed off with a frown. "Has he always been able to do that?"

The sky-bluenette then looked at the short brunette. "Not always, but he can." For a few moments as Izuki looked as he wanted to whine about something like Midorima's shot, she added then. "However, his shots can be stopped."

Hyuuga blinked, looking at the sky-bluenette as if she had two heads. "That's ridiculous! No one can stop that freaking high arc shot! How are you even successfully shoot like that the first time?" he asked, sounding frustrated then, but Akkiko ignored it, knowing that he had that nagging him since that display Kamiko made.

"It can be stopped," she repeated, a little more slowly but firmly this time, causing everyone in the team to stay silent. "I'll have Kagami block Shintaro to buy me the needed time for me to act." She looked at the short brunette again. "I'll manage Takao."

"Huh?"

"Shutoku has to learn that they're not the only one who had a member of one of two monster teams on their side," Akkiko let out a low growl, startling everyone around her. "Shintaro seemed to have forgotten what I can really do as well. We only have to prevent him from getting the ball," she said at last.

"It's easier said than done, Karadai!" Kagami groaned.

The girl shot him a look, immediately shutting his mouth up. "It's time to wake them all up and make them realize exactly the reason why I'm the captain of the Uncrowned Kings. I don't really care for this title in the first place but they've been ignorantly pushing their luck too much."

"They're going to regret making a complete fool out of me."

_'__Oh?' _Akashi furrowed his right brow in concentration. _'I see it now. She's paving the way straight for Kamiko's next appearance. It seems she's readying to attack sooner or later.' _He glanced at Shutoku's team and smirked. _'Welcome to Hell, Shutoku High.'_

"I can't believe you think you can completely stop my play," Akkiko, in her defense position, stated rather icily and looked at the raven haired opposing player, who had a look of confusion in his face.

The other Shutoku players gave him sympathetic looks, and within the bleachers, Kise frowned beside Kasamatsu then, wondering how she is going to play this out. It has only been the first quarter still, and Seirin has been doing their best to slowly and steadily close the gap against Shutoku, which was a failure in the end.

Back on the court, Takao wondered if he should run for his life as he tried to shake away this feeling of discomfort and chillness emitting from the sky-bluenette's sharp dark gaze. "I should be congratulating you, Takao. I haven't been this pissed off for a long time now." Akkiko continued in a low and dangerous tone, ignoring the fact that Midorima had been making three pointer shots continuously; thus widening their point gap even more. There is no mistaking the rage in her blank eyes that makes Takao want to step back from her. "Besides, no matter what you do, you can't stop me."

Izuki passed Akkiko the ball just then and her fast reflexes didn't fail her as she caught the ball with only one hand without taking her gaze from Takao then. "Seirin…" The sky-bluenette slowly made a wide smirk as she bends her knees comfortably. "… will win!"

She leaned on her right foot rather swiftly, smirking as Takao followed her movement, like a fade away, then she immediately took advantage of the new opening with him struggling to keep up with her as she made her way towards the basket.

A Shutoku player then followed to block her way, only to have him left shocked at his position when he realized that she was already passed him then. _'T-That's impossible! I was here before she arrived!' _

The green haired male paled instantly when he saw what she had done. It looks similar to a certain tanned male's fluidity in movement, but even scarier than the tanned male's. This is one of the reasons why her original play style was so feared in the first place that she got the nickname as the Raging Demon. After all, you can't stop someone who moves like a demon faster than the speed of light and sound, right?

Akkiko tch'ed as she sees Midorima finally blocking her way head on.

"You and I both know you can't stop me by merely blocking my way towards the basket, Shintaro!" She stopped abruptly to leap backwards, her body half-arched at the leap as she released the ball then, shocking everybody, including Midorima.

"S-She's… almost parallel to the ground!" Kasamatsu spluttered. "Though that gives the ball a good boost of velocity that it needed to reach the basketball at that angle."

Kise's golden eyes glittered. "There's more to her than meets than eye, Kasamatsu-senpai and what she displayed back at the practice match was only a fraction of what it is to come."

The Shutoku team was shocked. They've never seen something like this being performed in any of Seirin's matches from the videos that they've watched. Akkiko landed on her feet lightly as the ball got into the basket, only staggering a bit from the nausea feeling of temporarily occupying Kamiko's body longer than she hoped. Her right hand shot up to her chest as she was gripping on it in pain, gritting her teeth.

_"__I can only occupy your body for 10 minutes. Longer than that, there's the slimmest chance that you make it back into the surface, Kami."_

_"__It's fine. I trust you, Akkiko."_

_'__Just a little more.' _She let out a short staggering breath, releasing her hand from her chest, resting it on her side then before turning her attention to Midorima and said, "I hope that you don't think that these are all that I'm capable of," without detailing it much since she knew Midorima knew exactly what she was talking about. "But, you underestimating me had done its job to force my hand to bring this out early in the game."

"Lycorax…" Midorima breathed shakily. _'So that move just now during her match with Seiho isn't just a stroke of luck. When did she start learning to use it with her left arm?'_

"Shintaro, it is true that you might be a member of the Generation of Miracles," Akkiko said. "But you seemed to have forgotten that I am a member of the Uncrowned Kings, as well as what I specialized in." She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I don't really care about all this at first, but you've all been ignorantly pushing your luck too much now. You making a complete fool out of me is something you're going to regret." She sneered. "You can't stop me, Midorima Shintaro and we're going to make sure that it stays that way."

If anyone would look hard enough, is that the green haired male winced unnoticeably at the mention of his full name.


	16. Chapter 12

**AN: BEEN A WHILE, MY LOVELY READERS~ SAYING SORRY ISN'T GOING TO CUT IT. This is my update for you! It's my fault for making you all wait too long. **

**Lovelots,**

**djmuse**

* * *

"Time out for Shutoku!"

Over on the bleachers, one student from Kaijo let out a low whistle as the Shutoku coach called for a time out barely two minutes into the second quarter. "Damn, I've never seen Shutoku pushed this far before," Kasamatsu commented, with Kise looking on the court. "She's really a regular of one of two ultimate teams in middle school basketball," the Kaijo captain added as an afterthought, glancing at the Seirin bench where the sky-bluenette was lazily sitting down on the bench beside Kagami while drinking water from her own bottle, along with the rest of her teammates.

The blonde beside him only smiled in response, looking at his former personal basketball instructor with adoration and pride in his gaze; despite the fact that she doesn't seem to be her at the moment.

Kise's current play style had been taught to him by Kamiko when he begged her to be his formal instructor, despite being both first years and from different middle schools. The sky-bluenette had told him that she'd already discovered his gift during their 5th grade, but it took her a while to come up with tricks for him to use to get him comfortable with his ability.

"Unlike the rest of us and her former teammates, Mikocchi isn't too keen on taking the spotlight during the matches," the blonde broke the silence, resting his chin on his right hand. "Despite being captain, on the front line, she prefers taking the back seat and being the team's support instead."

_ "You're the captain of your own team, your skills are a dynamic mix of offense and defense… yet you settle in only supporting your team. Why?"_

_"__That way, everyone in the team can do their respective roles without abandoning each other's backs," she explained carefully, to make sure the blonde would finally understand. "A team's support might not be important, but they are essential in a team. He keeps every player on their feet from the shadows. There is no such thing as a useless player in the team, Ryota."_

_'__A team's support is the one that holds the entire team together and helps executes their play. It is also the support, who helps to bring out the full potential and strength of the team even further,' _the blonde mused, recalling the practice match between Kaijo and Seirin High. _'If Midorimacchi underestimates Seirin even further, he's in it for a rough time.'_

* * *

Takao slipped past Hyuuga's guard, stealing the ball from him and passing it to Midorima, who was standing nearby at the half-line. The Seirin captain frowned. "I see…" he muttered. _'They've given up on stopping Kamiko and focused more on getting the ball for Midorima and stopping us from scoring.'_

* * *

Kise smirked as he watched the game continue. _'Too bad, Midorimacchi, you of all people should know best that it's more than impossible to stop Mikocchi and her Lycorax.' _He thought. _'The most that our mutual opponents could hope back then is to score as much as they could during the few minutes while Mikocchi was benched… but Lycorax isn't just a skill that anyone can handle.'_

* * *

Midorima caught the ball easily as it was passed to him, getting himself ready to shoot. The entire Shutoku team was taken aback when Akkiko appeared in front of the green haired male, causing his eye to twitch. "You think you can stop me with that?" he asked coldly. "You're underestimating me, Kamiko."

* * *

Seiho was surprised.

During their game with Seirin earlier, Kamiko had never tried to guard them even once, unless you count the one time when she had used Lycorax and had switched guarding positions with Kagami to give the redhead a chance to shoot.

"Can she even stop Midorima?" Tsugawa wondered.

* * *

"Says the one who _is_ underestimating me, Shintaro," Akkiko whispered dangerously before she bent her knees and leapt up into the air, much to everyone's shock.

Midorima was taken aback as her hand caught the ball before it can soar even higher into the air, passing it towards Hyuuga in the process as the Seirin captain was standing at the three pointer line. Hyuuga is scoring as well as always, with the ball soaring into the net; thus earning Seirin another three points.

"A h-head-on grab… t-that's high!" Kasamatsu gaped in disbelief. "Not just a brush of fingertips, but the whole hand! That doesn't happen often!"

The blonde beside him smiled softly, impressed at his former instructor. _'You haven't lost touch with your play, ne, Mikocchi?' _He smirked, only to have it disappear in a split second as he noticed how she was trying to catch her breath whilst gripping hard on her chest. _'M-Mikocchi?'_

* * *

"Checkmate, Shintaro."

Akashi smiled, but it was short-lived when he noticed that the sky-bluenette was panting. He briefly glanced at the clock then back at the sky-bluenette, his arms gradually loosening. _'Akkiko has been present for nearly 10 minutes. If this keeps up….'_

* * *

Midorima's eye twitched in annoyance as he looked at Kamiko, who is walking across the court. _'She's higher than she used to back in the middle school.'_

Akkiko stopped in her tracks as she turned to look over her shoulder at Midorima. "It's easy to stop you if we knew how, Shintaro," she said. "Your shots take a long time to get ready. All that we have to do to stop your three pointer shots is to make sure that you either don't get the ball at all or to knock the ball out of the air before it can even reach higher."

_'__This is why Kami doesn't depend on three pointer shots unless it's necessary.'_

* * *

"Easier said than done, though performing it real-time is an entirely different matter." Kasuga commented from the bleachers. "If truth be told, even if I know about Midorima's shoots and the weaknesses in his skill, I doubt that even I could stop him. What a match… I've never seen anything like this before!" He shook his head in disbelief.

"Looking at her reminds me of it again," Iwamura stated, arms crossed over his chest as he glanced at the sky-bluenette. "You can't really tell just by looking at her, but like Midorima, Karadai Kamiko is still a regular of one of two ultimate teams in middle school basketball. This is what happens when a member from the Uncrowned Kings and from the Generation of Miracles clash!" He told his stunned teammates. "But…"

* * *

"If Karadai knows the holes in Midorima's movements, Midorima most possibly knows about her weaknesses." Kasamatsu added. "The only difference here is that it is easy for Karadai to stop him, but for Midorima…"

Kise looked on worriedly.

* * *

"For Midorima to stop Miko, he needs a plan," Aomine furrowed his eyebrow as he was intently observing; something that he finds rather boring though this is an entirely different matter when Kamiko is involved. "Like _that_ match, for instance, we've all seen how Miko's play was more than effective enough to clash against us." He shook his head a little gravely as he recalled that match.

Momoi giggled. "That's why most of the time, Ki-chan had complained that Miko-chan should have enrolled at Teiko and joined the team, instead of handling her own team and separating from Akashi-kun," she chirped, which Aomine snorted at the last part. "So far, you're the only one who can break through Miko-chan's Lycorax, but I haven't seen Akashi-kun having trouble against it though," she pouted slightly. "Since they grew up together and all that, so yeah…" she added an afterthought.

Aomine should have smirked at that, as being the only one who can break through Lycorax, but it can't helped when a certain former redhead captain is in the picture though. The tanned male glanced at the match currently going on below them.

"Ironically, Miko-chan's Lycorax style is the weakness of the play styles of every single one of us," Momoi tilted her head curiously. "Even if you knew the weaknesses and strengths of her style inside out, if you can't come up with a plan on how to stop her, it makes no difference either way. Unlike anything else, you _can never_ get used to her Lycorax style."

* * *

Midorima growled low in his throat as the sky-bluenette knocked another ball out of his hands just as the ball left his fingertips. How many times is she going to keep this up? Her Lycorax is truly something to be feared; and if truth be told, more fearful than Akashi's play style. He had assumed that Kamiko is nowhere near, thus making an attempt to shoot. Before he realized what was going on, she had already knocked the ball out of their air and passed it immediately to her teammate.

Despite the fact that he already played against her back in _that _match, the green haired male now understood **better** onto why so many of their mutual opposing teams had feared Kamiko back when she was in Hanzo. Rumours that it is the **worst **nightmare to face the sky-bluenette when she had possession of the ball aren't all that far-fetched. So, he understood how it felt being in their shoes.

He narrowed his eyes just then as he saw her placing her hand on over her chest whilst gripping on it and trying to catch her breath. He watched her carefully as she tried to take a small step, only to stagger a bit before regaining her sense of balance. Is it just him or does she almost seem… a little short of breath?

* * *

Aomine took one step forward, his tanned hands gripping hard on the railings until he didn't notice that it was all white then. "That doesn't look good…" he muttered in worry, as he looked at the exhausted-looking Kamiko.

Momoi frowned in worry as well. _'She should have surpassed that, despite having two games in one day though… Besides, she's most stubborn when it comes to training weights back in middle school, insisting that she wanted to heighten her stamina more. What's happening now?'_

* * *

Not far from them, Akashi looked at his best friend worriedly whilst clenching his fists. _'Akkiko, if you stay more than 10 minutes now, Kami might not come back…'_

* * *

"This is… bad," Kise muttered, much to Kasamatsu's confusion.

* * *

"This isn't looking so good," Iwamura commented, noticing what the rest of his teammates have missed, narrowing his eyes at the form of the sky-bluenette that had been responsible for his team's defeat to Seirin. "That girl… She's at her limit."

Stunned, the team turned her attention towards the sky-bluenette. They could see that she's clearly having a hard time to catch her breath as she was gripping on her chest, her athletic form almost slouching. During their match with her, they could tell that Karadai Kamiko isn't someone who would wear her emotions on her sleeve. If she's looking exhausted, it means it's bad.

"She looks exhausted." Kasuga noted in concern. "That girl looks ready to collapse."

"Of course she is," Iwamura told his teammates. "She might be bench for nearly two quarters during Seirin's match with us, but this is still her second match of the day. Furthermore, she's been moving at high speeds since the second half of the first quarter, along with those high jumps to block Midorima's shots. It is bound to take a toll on her stamina."

"But, she's not small in size to start with," Kasuga furrowed his eyebrow in confusion. "If she had enough training back in middle school, she would have endured that without coming short of breath…"

* * *

"She's at her limit?" Kasamatsu stared at a solemn blonde. It isn't often that Kise saw something that he had missed. "Well, she does look exhausted without a doubt." The Kaijo captain commented when he turned his attention back towards the sky-bluenette, as he was worried for her as well.

"If Kasamatsu-senpai can see that Mikocchi is exhausted, it means it's pretty bad," Kise murmured solemnly, worried about the girl. From the looks of it, he knew Midorima is concerned as well, despite the fact that Shutoku and Seirin are currently playing against each other in a match.

"Why is she so exhausted?" Kasamatsu asked with concern.

The blonde glanced at his companion at the corner of his eye then back at the court. To be honest, he doesn't have any answer to that. He knew that the sky-bluenette's stamina surpassed that of an NBA star player at a ripe age of 14 because of the increased weights from Momoi so she could have breezed through the game easily, so that's not the reason why she's exhausted. He frowned as he answered. "Out of all of us, the prodigies, Mikocchi has surpassed a stamina that of one of the strongest NBA basketball players. So she shouldn't be this exhausted. So the explanation behind that… I really have no idea."

_'__That's… impossible!" _Kasamatsu blinked in astonishment. "If Karadai's taken out of the game now, Shutoku can still easily win. I can't believe this!" He sighed. "How does just having one player make such a difference?"

* * *

Izuki scrambled to catch the ball as Akkiko knocked the ball out of mid-air once more, almost missing the ball entirely.

Hyuuga was stunned as he turned his attention back to Kamiko, who is panting, sweat almost pouring down her face. He had never seen the passive-impassive sky-bluenette look so exhausted before.

Midorima looked almost concerned for his former instructor. Who the hell could tell what the superstitious teen was even thinking, anyway, with that poker face?

_'__Kamiko looks more exhausted than the rest of us,' _The Seirin captain thought in concern. A quick glance at Kagami told Hyuuga that the redhead had noticed it as well and is covering his female teammate as much as he could so that the sky-bluenette doesn't need to exert too much strength to pass the ball to her teammates or even make a shot. _'Her passes are steadily lacking accuracy and her speed is dropping. This isn't good.' _He gulped.

"I-Isn't Kamiko-san looking exhausted?" Furihata suddenly asked from the bench, following Kamiko's form as much as he could with his eyes. With that skill of hers, it makes it difficult even for her teammates to follow her movements.

"Isn't her accuracy and speed dropping drastically?" Koganei furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "I've never seen her this tired before."

"I don't think this is about taxing on her stamina," Riko said grimly, observing the sky-bluenette. "Her stats are higher now than the first day she came in, beyond the radars. What I don't understand is why she's coming short of breath…" she trailed off worriedly.

"Shouldn't we substitute her, Coach?" Tsuchida asked, worried about their youngest and only female player.

Riko bit on her lip. On one hand, Kamiko is the best chance that they have at stopping Midorima, but on the other hand, Riko isn't callous enough to sacrifice a player's health and well-being just to win a match. She would never forgive herself. Even Midorima seems to be almost hoping that Riko would substitute Kamiko, judging that way he kept glancing over at the Seirin bench. Granted, that might be because he has no way to stop Kamiko at present, but still…

The short brunette still remembered what Kamiko had told her during the time out that Shutoku had called for during the first half of the second quarter.

_"__Please leave Shintaro to me, Riko," the sky-bluenette said, looking at Riko with her dark honey-glazed eyes then back at the court. "There's a way to block most of his three pointers, if not all of them, to prevent him from scoring…" she clenched her jaw and the short brunette noticed this. "I promised… someone to help bring Seirin to the top and I intend to fulfill that promise." The sky-bluenette murmured this, but Riko heard it at all._

_'__Someone, huh?' _Riko thought, wondering who that 'someone' would be, but she doubts that she knew who it was. "Let's see how it goes," she said at last, feeling conflicted as she saw Kamiko struggling to catch her breath as she effectively blocked one of Midorima's shots.

* * *

"She's still pushing herself?!" Miyaji asked in angry confusion, unable to believe his eyes that the sky-bluenette can still move despite her current state. "This is crazy! She's pushing herself beyond her limits!"

Otsubo frowned. If that girl carries on this way, she might burn herself out. What the hell is Seirin's coach thinking?

* * *

Midorima glared at the Seirin bench. _'They're still making Kamiko play despite her obvious exhaustion,' _he thought, furious._ 'Hurry up and pull her out already! If this goes on…' _He glanced at his former instructor with worry.

Akkiko tapped a quick pass towards Kagami after stealing the ball from a shocked Takao who doesn't seem to know where to move. Her breaths are coming in short huffs and puffs, with her trying hard to ignore the stabbing pains in her chest and the throbbing pain in her head. Black spots are also starting to appear in her vision and Akkiko shook her head in an attempt to clear it.

_Akkiko- _

_'__I-I'll be fine, Kami. I made this decision and I'm meaning to stick with it!'_

Akkiko shot her hand towards her chest, gripping on it and gritted her teeth in pain. Her form seemed to slouch then, her knees bent and shaking slightly. The one and only time that she's occupied Kamiko's body was during _that _match; **5 minutes at that was the longest time duration, to be honest.** When two essences switch in a living body, it is bound to take a huge toll on the physical vessel, despite having stamina higher than that of an average human being, especially when it's an athletic type of vessel.

In her subconscious, Kamiko looked on with concern and with a sad smile.

_Twin…_

Kamiko cooed softly and the pain in her chest and in her head seemed to lessen but still present and Akkiko tried to straighten her posture a little slowly, making sure to be careful with herself.

_I trust you._

Kamiko giggled softly in her subconscious, Akkiko widened her eyes at the message behind Kamiko's note, then forced a weak smile, that only look like a grimace, and shook her head slowly, wondering for a bit if Kamiko was actually serious about it.

_'__You sure about this? This time, you **might not** be able to come back again.'_

_We'll find a way, somehow. Gambatte-ne, tsuin!_

To that, the sky-bluenette started to sway on her feet, looking ready to dive on the floor any second. Midorima, however, didn't miss her movements; the fact that the green haired male had been keeping a sharp eye on her the moment her performance was gradually decreasing during the second quarter. The other players currently present on the courts and the bleachers have also noticed it and were looking at her in alarm. Just as Midorima was about to make a step towards her, worried for her well-being, the sky-bluenette slid her right foot then, much to his shock. The sky-bluenette still has her head hanging low, in a slouching form then. Not long, she raised her head slowly and the green haired male swallowed a lump in his throat and his emerald orbs widened at the sight of darkness looming her still-dead eyes.

Not only that, he could literally feel such blood-lust aura around the girl. Hell, she looks more than ready to kill.

_'… __H-Hime-san?!'_

The girl turned her attention to the green haired male, who apparently was staring at her, and she gave a wide sadistic smirk.

"_She's_ not coming back." She mouthed that statement, only to have blacked out then.

* * *

The referee blew sharply on his whistle.

Only Midorima's quick reflexes had saved Akkiko from taking a swan dive to the ground as she passed out. The rest of the Seirin players raced to their teammate in alarm and the Seirin players currently on reserve were standing up from their bench.

Up at the bleachers, Seiho looked horrified, whilst Kise looked pale and Kasamatsu wasn't any much different from his blonde companion. Momoi is currently restraining Aomine from racing down to the court; Tetsuya and Akashi looked as if they are the next to faint.

Midorima lifted Akkiko up bridal style easily, carrying the sky-bluenette over to Seirin's bench. Koganei had folded a towel to place under her head, acting as a pillow, whilst Furihata started fanning at the sky-bluenette with a book, with concern written all over his face. The other Seirin players have all gathered around their bench by this point in time, with Shutoku looking on with concern.

"This is the end," Otsubo sighed. "I feel bad for that girl, but without her, there is no one to stop Midorima or to interfere with our play anymore."

On the bench, the girl stirred lightly as she murmured barely audibly. "Twin…" Riko was about to place some smelling salts under the sky-bluenette's nose when Akkiko's lips moved and furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion. _'Twin?'_

Akkiko coughed lightly before opening her eyes, much to everyone's relief.

"Miko-chan!"

"… _She's _so gullible, tsk…" Akkiko muttered under her breath, her honey-glazed eyes holding something like sadness… or bitterness and it confused the short brunette even more. Twin? What is this girl babbling about? Who is _she_?

The sky-bluenette tried to sit up from her current position, only to be pushed down onto the bench by her female senpai. "R-Riko—"

"You fainted," Riko said solemnly, worry etched in her face. "I'm not letting you get up. I'm substituting you, Miko-chan," the student coach finalized sternly, causing the sky-bluenette to blink.

"I'm used to it, Riko," Akkiko sighed wearily as she not-so-gently wiggled out of her grip and slowly sat up on her own. "The reason why I was exhausted is not something easily understood, so drop it." How she added the last part with a cold tone must have caused the coach to flinch, but the short brunette decided not to question it anymore.

Midorima was still standing behind them, looking pissed. "_We_ all noticed that Kamiko is overexerting herself. It's not possible that you didn't. Are you trying to kill her?" He accused and Riko again flinched at Midorima's harsh tone.

"Shintaro," Akkiko interrupted before Midorima decided to add another one of his cutting remarks towards her team. The green haired male's anger lessened as she called his attention; though that statement before she blacked out earlier was nagging on him.

_She's not coming back_.

What does that mean?

"I'm all good now," she said with a light tone, stretching her limbs slowly, shocking everyone present. She doesn't look tired, sound tired, act tired. What the hell was that unexplainable exhaustion just now? "Thanks."

The green haired male sighed before letting out a short huff. "I'll let your team take care of you," he said at last, looking as if there is more that he would like to say to Riko that could very well reduce her to tears. Despite how gentle-looking Midorima would be, he had quite a sharp and sarcastic tongue when enraged, something that Kise can stand witness to. "That was the most idiotic thing to do, _Akuma_," he told the sky-bluenette wryly.

"Well, get used to it, tsundere. _She's_ not coming back." Akkiko smirked up to the green-head, a big question mark bubble was over the Seirin's team, wondering about the two players exchange, as Fukuda gave her a damp and cold towel for her to wipe her face, in an attempt to cool her head too.

The smirk that only he now understood the meaning behind her words, Midorima's eyes narrowed warily before heading back to his team's bench, with the rest of his team looking on with both curiosity and concern.

_She's not coming back._

* * *

Up the bleachers, Kise looked visibly relieved as he slouched on his chair, looking weary at that. He thought she was going to pass out longer than that. That was the first time he has seen her passed out whilst on court; though, a thought has been nagging him by then as he saw that the sky-bluenette looked lively, instead of looking much exhausted. _'It's not… my imagination, is it?'_

Kasamatsu sighed in relief as well, as he saw that the sky-bluenette looked fine after her passing out, but he was still worried about her well-being. With her like that, are they still going to put her back in court? "Looks like she's out of it for now, but just by looking at her… she's not going to stay still."

* * *

"Hey, are you really okay?" Kagami asked the sky-bluenette with concern.

The girl nodded a little, her attention on the court. "I'm fine." In the few minutes after waking up, the color gradually came back to her once-pale face, making her look livelier then, despite having a few etches of weariness in her face. "I may have enough stamina to play for the third quarter, but if I'll play now, I won't be able to help out for the fourth quarter anymore."

"All right, for now, Miko-chan can't play," Riko passed the t-shirt that the sky-bluenette had worn before the start of the game to her, who gingerly took it and wore it on. "That means we have to make do with whatever manpower that we currently have. Koganei-kun, you're in." She told the cat-faced boy.

"Leave this to me!"

"All right!" Hyuuga slapped his own cheek. "It is going to be tough without Kamiko to stop Midorima, but we're going to do it!" He said. "That's why stopping Midorima is going to be your responsibility, Kagami," he told the redhead, who grinned.

"I would like nothing better!"

"Let's do this!" Hyuuga ordered. "We're going to win!"

"Yeah!"

"Can they win this?" Kawahara wondered even as they watched the players return to the court. "Without Karadai-san to stop Midorima, won't this be tough?"

Akkiko was sitting comfortably on the bench, cross-legged. "I might as well be blunt then. As far as I know, Kagami may be the only one who can stop Shintaro…" she trailed off as she fell silent, recalling what they talked about during the time Kamiko was cooling off after the practice match against Kaijo High.

_"__You saw a raw talent that will enable Kagami to reach the level of the Uncrowned Kings and the Generation of Miracles in the first day. It's not as obvious now, so I'm not surprised if the rest of the team and even Kagami hadn't noticed it," Akkiko said as Kamiko was dribbling the ball before shooting into the basket. "He has the ability to reach and open the 'door.' His special talent is…"_

"… an intrinsic jumping ability." Akkiko tsk'ed.

* * *

The end of the second quarter had the two teams of Seirin and Shutoku retiring back to their individual locker rooms for a strategy meeting and the spectators of the match of Seirin versus Shutoku were all buzzing, especially with what was shown during the second half of the second quarter.

"As expected, without Miko, Seirin's power went down drastically, especially since they do not have anyone who could stop Midorima," Aomine remarked. "Unless there is someone who could match Midorima, I don't see how Seirin could win this."

The second half of the second quarter was a complete slaughter for Seirin. Without Kamiko, who had been vital in stopping Midorima's three pointers and also responsible for creating scoring opportunies for her team, Seirin's power went down drastically. Shutoku had also taken the chance of Kamiko's absence to attack like a demon.

Thus, the second quarter ended with a game count of 30-45, with Shutoku being in the lead.

"You think?" Momoi asked. "I think that it's still too early to tell the result of the game. You and I both know that until the last second, it is still too early to conclude the result of a game. Furthermore, Miko-chan chose this school for a reason. I'm sure that there's something special about those guys."

"Hardly," Aomine snorted, not feeling very impressed with Seirin as a whole. In his opinion, Seirin only managed to get this far because of Kamiko. "I think they're nothing much. They only managed to beat Seiho because Miko was there. To choose a school as weak as this and to be friends with a pathetic player like _him_…" the tanned male huffed. "Miko must be blind to see something good in them!"

* * *

Tsugawa was not pleased with Seirin's poor show during the second half either.

"If they lose this badly, people will think that we're weak." Tsugawa grumbled.

"However, I don't think that even we could have beaten them." Iwamura pointed out.

"Here, I thought that Seirin was doing well during the second quarter, too," Tsugawa sulked, crossing his arms like a spoiled child. "They lost all power when they lost that Karadai girl."

"Well, it _is_ a clash between a member of the Generation of Miracles and a member of the Uncrowned Kings," Iwamura replied.

"How can the addition of this kind of player change this team so much?" Kasuga wondered.

The rest of Seiho stayed silent.

* * *

"Show some spirit, Seirin," The blonde grumbled.

"They are, you idiot," Kasamatsu sighed. "After being shown such a difference in their strength, they're still barely hanging in there. That is already to be commended. They're only able to stop Midorima's play and mess up Shutoku's teamwork because of Karadai. So when they lost her during the second half…" he trailed off slowly.

Kise massaged his temple and sighed. "They're back to square one and Shutoku is able to attack once more," he picked up where his companion trailed off. He leaned back into his seat with a huff, not happy with how things are currently going. His phone then slipped out of his pocket and fell to the ground.

The recording that Kise had been listening to that morning played itself.

_"__Next up, Oha-Asa Horoscope! Libras should play it quiet today. Cancers will have a great day. As long as you have your lucky item, Shigaraki raccoon, you have nothing to fear."_

* * *

The mood in Seirin's locker room is extremely heavy, with not a single one of them speaking at all. No one could see a way to thwart Shutoku and to stop Midorima's play at all. At the very least, if Akkiko is playing, they might at least stand a chance. But as it is, Akkiko playing is out of the question now. Riko set aside, Midorima would skin them alive if something happens to the sky-bluenette if they force her out back to court.

The sky-bluenette is looking a lot better now, especially with her resting throughout the second half ever since being taken out of the game. She was currently lying down on one of the benches in the locker room, with eyes closed and her breathing even. She tuned out what her twin's seniors were talking about as she was busy strategizing in her mind on how to deal with Shutoku once more; only to have woken up back to Earth when Izuki called her—called Kamiko's name. The point guard was seated just next to her head after all and was curious as to what she's mumbling about for some time.

"Kamiko, what are you doing?" Izuki asked curiously.

"Planning on how to effectively seal Takao's Hawk Eye," Akkiko responded, opening her eyes as she looked at her senpai upside down.

Izuki was surprised at that. "Is it going to work with Takao?" he asked. Takao had been giving them some trouble during the second half. Now Izuki has a good idea how their opponents must feel when dealing with him and his Eagle Eye.

"It might work."

"Might?" Izuki spluttered.

Akkiko recalled the game earlier today, with her attention focused solely on Takao and his movements, especially his foot movements, back when she was benched in. _'He follows how the players' eye movements actually reacted.' _She frowned inwardly.

"Izuki, your Eagle Eye works as you change the perspective of the court from a bird's point of view, correct?"

Izuki blinked as he was taken aback at this statement-like confirmation, but surprised at how informal the sky-bluenette was currently addressing him at the moment. "It's something like that."

Hyuuga sighed, hanging his head. "Izuki, we already knew that," he complained.

The sky-bluenette sat up then as she faced Izuki, who was confused at her sudden movement. "And if someone attracts your attention on purpose, will you still be able to see the entire court?" she pressed further.

"Eh?" Izuki furrowed his eyebrows in a frown. "Well, I've never dealt with anyone trying to mislead me by attracting my attention, but maybe…" he trailed off, trying to think what will actually happen if an opposing player attracts his attention on purpose. "Just maybe, I won't be able to see everyone," he said at last. "What's with all the questions, Kamiko?" He asked her, looking curious.

"Heh…" She fixed herself to sit cross-legged then. The sky-bluenette furrowed her eyebrows in concentration as she crossed her arms across her chest. "… It might just work," she murmured softly, much the entire team's surprise.

Riko sighed. "Attracting a player with that ability isn't easy, but I don't think it wouldn't be hard, either. It's like stirring his attention away towards you…" Then a look of realization dawned on her face. "It's like… misdirection! You misdirect his attention by keeping him focused on you whilst the other players can move about like smoothly!" Then the short brunette massaged her temple. "How to go about that… I wouldn't know."

"Things aren't looking good for us," Koganei admitted. "What should we do?"

The sky-bluenette was silent for a long time before turning her attention towards her team. "Instead of thinking about whether you can win, why not think about how you can win? Until the last minute of the game is concluded, there is still a chance, isn't it? And no matter how unrealistic it sounds, a third quarter comeback still sounds entirely possible to me," Akkiko finished at last, silencing the entire team, not forgetting to stare at her like she's some alien.

Somewhere deep in her subconscious, she could hear Kamiko chuckling softly.

_I can't believe you don't sound as bluntly pessimistic as you are always with me._

"Are you feeling okay, Kamiko?" Hyuuga asked at last. "I've never heard you talk like this much before. Did you hit your head just now?"

Riko smiled, whilst Akkiko shook her head lightly with a faintest smile that she could muster. "Miko-chan is right," she said. "It's too early to give up. A third quarter comeback? Sounds entirely possible to me. In fact, it sounds about right," the student coach grinned.

_"__That's why you're no good, Kise," The green haired male said bluntly. "Shooting from far away is obviously the best, since it's worth three points."_

_Kamiko, who is sipping on her vanilla milkshake, turned towards her blonde and emerald friends. "Shinta-kun, you're usually smart, but sometimes you can be stupid as well," the sky-bluenette sighed lightly as she picked up a fry, much to Midorima's twitch._

_"__What?"_

_"__Mikocchi, so blunt," Kise whined._

_"__Between two and three points, more is obviously better," Midorima argued._

_Kamiko rolled her eyes at Midorima. "I don't think that is why I helped you nurture your shooting skill, Shinta-kun." The sky-bluenette shook her head. "What are you, a child?"_

_Midorima smirked. "The truth is simple. I will prove it to you one day." His glasses glinted._

* * *

The sky-bluenette had just returned from the comfort room as she was heading towards Seirin's bench, only to see the ball rolling around the rim of Shutoku's goal, looking as if it is close to falling out to the goal before finally going through the net, thus earning Shutoku another three points. She raised a brow whilst taking a quick look at Midorima, seeing as he looks stunned and angry. The rest of Shutoku looked bewildered as well.

* * *

"That's strange," Momoi blinked.

"Yeah," Aomine agreed with a nod, a frown etched on his face. "In all my time playing with Midorima, that is the first time that I saw his shot go in like that," he remarked. Midorima's shot usually go in neatly, never even touching the net at all. "But…" Aomine glanced at the green haired male. "It wasn't a mistake on Midorima's part."

* * *

Midorima twitched and didn't look pleased in the least.

"Hey," Midorima glanced at Kagami, who walked past him. "What's your sign?" he demanded.

"Me?" Kagami looked disinterested and bored at his question. "I'm a Leo," he finally responded.

Midorima's hand clenched into a fist, recalling that day's Oha-Asa horoscope.

_"__With your lucky item, Shigaraki raccoon, you have nothing to fear. However, your compatibility with Leo is very poor. Be careful if you run into one."_

For the first time in his life, he is cursing the horoscope show that he always followed without fail. "That horoscope really is always right."

* * *

Akashi narrowed his eyes. _'That idiot!' _he thought, glaring at the only redhead player on Seirin's team.

* * *

"Seirin's play… seems almost different from before," Momoi commented. "It's true that that Kagami guy had been able to stop Midorin and that Shutoku captain, but…"

Aomine shifted in his spot, looking a little uncomfortable. "It's like he's playing all by himself…"

* * *

"Foul! Black 10!"

The sky-bluenette said nothing, but she did not take her eyes off of Kagami as he committed a foul whilst stopping the Shutoku captain from scoring a basket. Shutoku still is in the lead with the current score 34-53. It is true that Seirin seems to be playing a lot better and is attacking more now, especially with Hyuuga making his shots, but…

"Kagami's amazing!" Furihata cheered whilst on the bench.

Kawahara agreed. "With him, we could…"

The sky-bluenette only shook her head rather solemnly. She's recognized his play style now… Kagami's basketball returned back to the way it once was before he joined the team. Akkiko gritted her teeth. "If he continues like this, the worse is yet to come."

_'__The very thing that Kami detests the most: a one-man basketball.'_

To that, the other Seirin players and Riko turned their attention to her in confusion.

* * *

The sky-bluenette narrowed her eyes as she caught Kagami's legs shaking as he stood in front of Midorima, looking as if he wanted to jump to stop his shot like how he had attempted the previous times.

She recognized those signs. How many times has she seen it in Kamiko when she was back in Hanzo, especially during freshman year, particularly when her twin was developing her Lycorax skill then? How many times has Momoi told Kamiko not to overexert herself in increasing her weights?

"If Kagami goes on like this, he will only be playing into Shinta-kun's hands. He looks like he's out of stamina," she stated grimly and to that, Riko's eyes widened in horror.

"He's out of gas, too?" Kise spluttered in horror, almost groaning at the implications of this and what it would mean for Seirin.

First Kamiko, now Kagami?

Kasamatsu nodded grimly, not looking happy at how things are proceeding for Seirin either. "Probably," he said. "His body's not strong enough to keep jumping like that. Just like Karadai earlier during the second quarter, Kagami must have overexerted himself as he was jumping all over the place. On top of that…"

* * *

"He was subbed in part way through," Iwamura stated. "But just like Karadai from earlier, this is still his second game of the day. Furthermore, he lost a lot of stamina from Tsugawa's mark."

Tsugawa twitched. "Why is that idiot letting it get to him now?"

Kasuga sighed, placing his hands behind his head. "This doesn't look good," he said. "He's not the only one about to run out of gas," the blonde glanced at the rest of Seirin's players, who were all sweating furiously and were even out of breath.

* * *

"End of the third quarter!"

Seirin were all trying to catch back their breath, also quenching their thirst from their bottles as they cool themselves down before the start of the fourth quarter. The sky-bluenette was still seated on the bench as the other players rest on the bench.

"Damn it!" Kagami cursed to himself.

" Kagami, you're getting too worked up." Izuki scolded. There had been an opening for Izuki earlier to score if only Kagami had passed the ball, but instead, he wasn't able to seize the chance. "Pay more attention to your surroundings."

"That's right," Hyuuga wasn't happy with Kagami either. "That wasn't the right way to go, you should've passed first."

"What good would passing the ball around have done?" Kagami asked in a dark tone.

Hyuuga was confused. "Huh?"

Kagami's eyes grew dark and cold. "I'm the only one who stands a chance against Shutoku. We don't need team play now. We need me to score."

The sky-bluenette clenched her jaw; her body slightly trembling as she listened to Kagami speak. From the looks of things, the rest of Kamiko's team was of the same opinion as well.

"Hey, what are you saying?" Izuki asked in anger, not pleased with how Kagami was phrasing his words. He's making it sound like the rest of them were just deadweight.

"That's different from being self-centered!" Koganei agreed with Izuki.

Akkiko's patience just snapped into two.

Unlike Kamiko, Akkiko's patience is as thin as a string, so it is starling for the rest of the people who knew Kamiko. Kamiko and Akkiko may be twins, but they are complete opposites yet both highly intelligent and strategic in their own way. Despite Akkiko being a sadist and Kamiko as kind, despite almost never agreeing over everything, they share deep compassion over one thing: Basketball. That's why, in every way possible, when Kamiko seeks help during every game, Akkiko is always present, supporting behind the scenes.

Now, with how she had seen Kagami playing earlier and how he spoke, it is starting to bring back bad memories, particularly during the time in Kamiko's third year in Hanzo when everything had gone **past **downhill.

Akkiko got up from the bench that she was currently sitting on and stepped up to Kagami, much to the confusion of the teammates. Before anyone even realizes what is going on, she had dealt Kagami such a resounding punch on the jaw, causing the redhead to fall off the bench with the force of it.

_What did I tell you about dealing with violence, Akkiko?_

_'__I'm not like you. He looks like he needs to understand this the hard way.'_

Izuki stared at the sky-bluenette with shock and wonder as this is the first time that they've actually seen the sky-bluenette punch someone. He admits that he thinks she isn't the type to do so- And that punch… he glanced at Kagami, who was stunned and somewhat a forming purplish bruise on his jaw. Man, that has got to hurt.

"M-Miko-chan!" Riko cried in surprise.

Kagami looked furious and got to his feet. "Damn you, Karadai, you…"

"Enough!" Hyuuga ordered, standing in between the two freshmen, especially since it looks almost as if a fight is about to break out. No matter what the reason, a man **_never_** lays a hand on a woman. Midorima would skin Kagami alive if he does, never mind what the rest of Seirin would do to the redhead.

"Are you calm now?" Akkiko asked with a hard stare and with a dangerous tone that made Kagami stop whatever it is that he is about to say. She cracked her knuckles then. "Looks like you need another punch. Maybe it'll be enough to wake you up this time," the sky-bluenette clenched her jaw in an attempt to calm herself as well. This kind of being pissed off is different from the kind of being pissed off that she was earlier when she was still in court.

"What?"

"You can't play basketball by yourself," Akkiko continued coolly, her voice had an entirely different ring in it, sounding more deadly that none of her team had ever heard her use before.

Kagami only grew angrier at those words. Before Mitobe and Koganei could hold back the angry redhead, Kagami stomped his way towards the sky-bluenette, only to have been stopped by a strong hand that was in his forehead, shocking him and everyone present. His angry and shocked eyes glanced a little down at the sky-bluenette, whose eyes grew darker by the second, narrowing dangerously at his ruby eyes.

"I dare you, and I will gladly erase your entire existence without a single trace, Kagami Taiga." The girl let out a low growl.

* * *

Akashi pursed his lips, watching the exchange between the redhead and the sky-bluenette, especially when she stopped the furious redhead by that familiar-looking grip, making Akashi frown at the sight, recalling a similar scenario back when he was in first grade. _'Despite everything, I hope that that Kagami guy survives, though…'_

* * *

To that, his eyes widened in shock as he was panicking, almost immediately forgetting the anger and frustration from the game then. The girl before him wasn't Kamiko. The glint in her eyes says it all. The grip on his forehead was painful, reminding him of the time when Tsugawa had tried to provoke him before the game and Akkiko stopped the redhead with her strong grip on his shoulder.

"As long as we play nice together, you don't care if we lose?" Kagami sneered. "There's no point if we don't win."

"There's no point if you win by yourself!" The sky-bluenette's grip on his forehead tightened, causing him to yelp as he tried to wiggle her hand away from his forehead but failed to do so. "You make me sick. You make Kami sick. You said you wanted to beat the Generation of Miracles and the Uncrowned Kings, yet the way that you are thinking is no different from them."

To that, Kagami's eyes widened in shock as Riko stared on with shock along with the rest of the team. Furihata, who was standing next to Riko stared at the sky-bluenette with wonder.

_'__Why is Kamiko talking as a third person?'_

"Even if we beat Shutoku as a team that can't trust each other, no one will be happy."

"Don't be so naïve!" Kagami roared, struggling to get out of her hold, but she stayed firm without a sweat. "If we don't win, those are nothing more than nice words!"

"Says the one who showed a rather pathetic play during the Seiho match," the girl sneered and laughed humorlessly, causing Kagami to grow angrier by the second, shocking the rest of the team more at the sky-bluenette's choice of words. Kamiko is blunt enough in a kind way, but this… version of her? She sounds like a sadist. "What are you really playing, Kagami Taiga?" she asked suddenly, a dangerous tone still laced in her voice. "Is basketball a one man sport to start with?" She didn't wait for his answer as she continued. "It's a team sport. Then what is victory? No matter how many more points you have at the end of the game, if no one's happy, that is not victory."

Shock silenced enveloped the entire team at her words. Kagami, who finally stopped struggling, was the most shocked and stunned out of the entire team. He had been so focused and caught up with trying to beat Midorima that he had almost forgotten what it is that he had been playing; why he played basketball.

"That's right," Koganei said, trying to break the awkward silence that befell upon the entire team as the girl released her hold from the redhead's forehead almost immediately, the redhead rubbing his aching temples. "It's not as though we want to lose."

"We're just saying that there's no reason for you to do it all yourself," Izuki added.

"Do you have any objections?" Hyuuga asked Kagami.

"No, but… well…" Kagami stammered, hissing on the pain that the sky-bluenette's hand had inflicted. "Sorry." Unfortunately, the girl doesn't look like she would be accepting his apology anytime soon, judging by the frown on her face. "Of course, I'd rather be happy when we win."

The rest of the team smiled at that and Hyuuga gave out a huff. "Well, now that Kamiko had calmed Kagami down, the situation hasn't changed," the Seirin captain glanced at the scoreboard that read 47-61, with Shutoku being in the lead. "What should we do?"

The sky-bluenette turned her attention towards her captain. "There may be one thing that we can do," to that, the rest of her team turned to her immediately.

The student coach almost groaned. "Miko-chan, I've already told you, I'm not letting you out on the court!" she said firmly. "You will probably collapse if you use Lycorax again—"

Akkiko interrupted Riko. "What happened earlier was a… minor setback, but I cannot promise not to use it again."

Riko let out a sigh. _'The last quarter and more than ten points behind,' _she thought as she glanced at the scoreboard. _'It is true that if Miko-chan plays, we might still be able to clinch a victory.' _She glanced back at the sky-bluenette, "Can you go for the next ten minutes?" She asked and the sky-bluenette nodded." Very well, but what are you planning?"

"For now, I can only pass the ball or shoot if necessary, but I'll be moving a little slower than my normal pace now since I'm still recovering," Akkiko said, taking her jersey jacket off and dumped it onto the bench. She then turned to face the rest of her team. "With that slow pace, I can take my speed and shooting technique up to another level." She told her shocked team.

Akkiko glanced at the Shutoku bench, tightening the arm spandex around her right arm.

_'__The battle isn't over yet, Shintaro. It is just starting.'_


End file.
